Turk McBride wants to be reminded.

If you have the guts, walk up to the 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive end/defensive tackle and say "five-and-six."

That’s all you have to say — and don’t back off.

Stare the senior from Camden, N.J., right in the face and remind him of last year’s record at the University of Tennessee.

He wants it. The whole team wants it.

"We all need to hear that," McBride said at UT’s media day on Saturday. "I’m not tired of it at all.

"We need to keep that memory installed in our head so we won’t go back to what we were last year."

That was a team sitting at home at bowl time. That was a team with the worst record at Tennessee since 1988.

Basically, you’re dealing with a lot of ticked off, humbled players over on the hill.

"Everything we want, we have to go take," senior cornerback Jonathan Wade said. "It has become that kind of attitude.

"If we want to win, we have to go take that victory. If we want to go undefeated, we have to take it. If we want to win the SEC championship, we have to take it."

Nothing comes on a silver platter.

A few players admit they thought things were going to be easy in 2005.

They got a little fat-and-sassy syndrome until the 5-6 jolt of reality. To a man, they say that mistake won’t happen again.

"It’s us against the world," Wade said. "It may not be that way, but that’s the way we feel and that’s the way we’re going to play.

"That’s the attitude the coaches brought to us in the spring and that’s the way we responded."

Marvin Mitchell has the same attitude.

The senior middle linebacker has been reinstated to the team after being suspended this past summer for a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.

"I’ve tried to put that behind me," he said. "It happened and it’s over with.

"I was worried at first (about possibly missing some games), but I want to be out there to lead my team. You want to get that taste out of your mouth. We want to prove to everyone out here that we are Tennessee."

Defensively, the 2005 Vols did all they could to prevent a slide to a fourth-place tie in the SEC East.

UT finished seventh in the nation in total defense (298 yards per game) and No. 2 in the country in rushing defense (82.5 yards per game) a year ago.

"It made us all aware that there aren’t any guarantees out there," defensive coordinator John Chavis said. "Even when you’re working as hard as you can, nothing’s guaranteed.

"You want to cherish every moment, make every one of them special and hope you don’t have another kind of year like last year."

It starts Sept. 2 at home against California, expected to be one of the most explosive offensive teams in the country.

Bring it on, says senior defensive tackle Justin Harrell.

"I hope teams do come in here thinking, ah, they were 5-6 last year, they’re not going to do anything," the preseason All-SEC pick said. "They’ll be surprised when they get in here and see what we’re really going to be about this year."

Replacing six of the defense’s front seven is just part of the process.

The defensive line is still being shuffled and reshuffled hoping to find the best combinations possible.

McBride is learning defensive end right now, but coaches still hope he can move back inside with Harrell to make up a tackle rotation complimented by Matt McGlothlin and the return of J.T. Mapu.

A lot of that depends on the progress of young defensive ends Robert Ayers, Antonio Reynolds, Xavier Mitchell and Wes Brown.

At linebacker, it’s a whole new crew with the departure of Kevin Simon, Omar Gaither and Jason Mitchell.

Losses like those aren’t easy to replace, but there’s only one cog in the Vols’ defensive machine players say is irreplaceable.

"As long as we don’t lose Coach Chavis, we’ll be fine," senior safety Antwan Stewart said. "He’s a passionate person and he’s going to make sure that passion comes out through us on the field.

"Coach Chavis just always finds a way to bring out the best in his players."

And there’s only one way to stop the 5-6 talk.

"The only way people are going to stop asking you about it," Harrell said, "is to go out and win some ballgames."