Ainge just needed tuneup after first half

UT coach Phillip Fulmer saw the junior quarterback struggle with mechanics and fundamentals for the first extended period this season.

"His mechanics got out of whack," Fulmer said.

But as the film rolled on, those little mistakes disappeared just as the Ainge who ranked among the nation's best quarterbacks all season long reappeared to lead the No. 8 Vols to a 16-13 victory over Alabama.

"It was corrected, in the game," Ainge said. "It's all from the neck up. We got it corrected and ended up doing fine."

Indeed.

Ainge struggled mightily in the first half, killing two drives with interceptions and throwing another on deep pass just before halftime.

But in the final 30 minutes, he rallied to complete 17 of his 23 passes for 153 yards and no turnovers.

That's the mark of a mature quarterback, Fulmer said.

"It's a great credit to him and (offensive coordinator) David (Cutcliffe) and everybody concerned that we came back and did as well as we did," he said. "A lesser mentally tough person would have gone all to pieces. He's had his trials and tribulations and he's able to fight through those things. It's what maturity and experience is supposed to do."

Maturity and experience also help keep Ainge's memory short.

After the first-half picks -- which ended a two-game streak without an interception -- Ainge rallied himself and a UT offense that was at times its worst enemy against the Crimson Tide's stout man coverage.

Alabama cornerbacks Ramzee Robinson and Simeon Castille are two of the SEC's best, Ainge said, and that's what gave the Vols so much trouble.

"What Alabama wanted to do was make us throw and consistently throw well to beat them," he said. "Their plan worked for the first little while."

But Ainge also knows most teams don't have a pair of corners like Alabama's.

"They (Robinson and Castille) were about as good as you'll see in terms of coverage. We got to be ready for it," he said.

"That was really the first game when we've challenged consistently the whole entire game in terms of just saying, 'Here's what we're doing, come get us.' We did after a while, it just took us a little longer than we would have liked."

And as the Vols' offense picked up, Ainge's mechanical troubles seemed to fix themselves.

The junior quarterback said his main problem Saturday was his hips opening too early at times.

"The reason mechanics can get sporadic or a little off is because you're not in the same mindset," Ainge said. "Whether I was confused or took a little time to adjust. ... How I was in the second half vs. how I was in the first half, the mindset is what had something to do with the mechanics."

And if there's any hangover heading into Saturday's 7:45 kickoff (TV: ESPN) at South Carolina (5-2, 3-2 SEC), it's a good one.

When Tennessee (6-1, 2-1) needed its offense most -- trailing by four points in the final 6 1/2 minutes -- Ainge guided the Vols to a rare touchdown against the Tide.

"It's important to be able to play good as an offensive football team when it matters," Ainge said.

While it's tough to watch himself struggle, it's a lot easier to handle given the outcome.

"It's kind of a bittersweet thing," he said. "We'll go in here and learn a lot from watching this film today, but it's a lot easier to go in there and watch and learn when you've won as opposed to when you've lost."