If the University of Tennessee’s season opener against California were today, junior Britton Colquitt would be the Vols’ kicker, punter and kickoff specialist.
He’d also be in a lot of pain.
UT’s All-SEC punter did not kick at all Monday after suffering a pulled quadriceps in his kicking leg during Saturday night’s scrimmage.
“I would, but it’d hurt really bad,” Colquitt said Tuesday when asked if he could have kicked on Monday. “And it’d be worse afterwards. I would injure it more if I did kick right now. If I had to, I’d get through the pain.”
The plan is to have Colquitt pain-free by UT’s kicking scrimmage Saturday, a week before the Vols open their season against No. 12 California in Berkeley.
Colquitt, a former soccer and football standout at Bearden High School, said he won’t kick at all in practice for the rest of the week and plans to spend “morning, afternoon and night” in the training room in order to rehab the pulled muscle.
“The trainers do a good job, and I think I should be fine by then,” Colquitt said. “I’m not going to do anything in practice before that. There’s no point in risking it. I should be fine by Saturday — certainly by Cal.”
Last Saturday, Colquitt and his fellow kickers got to Neyland Stadium an hour early for extra work. He estimates he kicked eight or nine field goals and 10 or 11 punts before that first kickoff.
“I felt like I tried to swing too hard than I normally have on kickoffs in the past,” he said. “I guess it’ll remind me to always swing easy and not try to do more than you can.”
On that kick, he said he felt a “sharp little tweak” in his kicking leg, and Tennessee’s coaches sidelined him for the rest of the scrimmage rather than take a chance at further injury.
“It’s not something that’s really bad or anything like that,” Colquitt said. “It’s one of those things if you do little things like stay off it, do all the rehab that the trainers are going to want me to do and not kick until I have to, not feel like I’ve got to get back out there.”
It’s hard to overstate the importance of Colquitt’s right leg to Tennessee’s football team.
As a punter, he finished second in the SEC and seventh in the country last season with an average of 44.9 yards a kick. In 2006, only four of his punts went for touchbacks and 18 were downed inside the 20-yard line.
In spring practice, the graduation of kicker James Wilhoit and the slow development of redshirt freshman Daniel Lincoln left Colquitt as UT’s strongest and most accurate option for field goals and extra points.
Lincoln was 6-of-9 on field goal tries during Saturday’s scrimmage and missed an extra point.
UT coach Phillip Fulmer has limited the number of kicks for Colquitt during practices this fall in an effort to reduce the strain on his leg.
“We’re very aware that we’re going to have to watch his leg, if he’s doing more than just the punting,” Fulmer said earlier in fall camp. “This time of year, you can kick too much.”
Despite efforts to reduce strain, Colquitt thinks the injury is a product of fall camp.
“It could just be the build-up of two-a-days,” he said. “You don’t really know your leg is getting fatigued until something happens.”
Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.
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Comments » 18
FLVol writes:
Why isn't anyone more concerned about this? I know it sounds like Colquitt is going to be ok but these things have a way of lingering on throughout a season. He's huge weapon for UT as a punter and we need him. Now is the time for Lincoln to step up to the plate and be the kicker that Fulmer recruited to replace James Wilhoit.
thevol writes:
I am worried now too. It seems like the kind of thing that could plaque the kicking game all year. Take the rest and let's hope it heels. Go Big Orange!
RangerForSix writes:
A few other 'huge players' for this crew, are 'banged up' too. Maybe since this team isn't that deep at several key positions, we better limit the reps of those guys who are 'actually going to war' for 60 minutes, against California! Let some of the 2's and 3's get a few more reps. Especially for the 1's we need totally healthy on Sept. 1st, and we know they're 'very sore' today...
Colquitt is being smart, I hope we're being smart at every position. I think we are. It's just tough coaching when 'you know' the best conditioned team usually wins and it's 105 degrees outside. It's a fine line 'that must be walked', player by player, day by day.
hueypilot writes:
Your sarcasm isn't lost on me CR. One of those Colquitt's was MVP against Miami when we beat them in the Orange Bowl. Great punters are nice, but you don't win a championship because you have a great punter. Best kicker I ever saw was Reggie Roby(sp?) who kicked for the Dolphins for many years. All he got as a senior was some backwater bowl against us when he was at Iowa. But I'll just bet there will be other MVP's for the Vols this year. My bet is on Ainge.
txsvol#372416 writes:
Whatever happened to Ron Widby, and Herman "Thunderfoot" Weaver? The punting award is named after Ray Guy, of Southern Mississippi, who played forever with the Raiders, and who set the standard in hang time and position placement. But Reggie Roby had a powerful leg, didn't he Huey? For my money, even though he played before I was born, the best UT punter may have been Bobby Dodd, later of Georgia Tech fame. At one practice, General Neyland was telling his team that he wanted the ball punted out of bounds right where he laid his hat. And, young Bobby Dodd kicked the ball high and along the sideline, where it landed, crushing the General's hat! The General looked at his TB with new respect, picked up his hat, straighted it, and placed it back on his head, saying, "Now, THAT's what I'm talking about!" Go Vols! SAVol
agentorange writes:
it eff'd up our mojo talking about no injuries and how healthy we were.
orangebloodgmc writes:
Shor did, agentorange.
vol4jesus writes:
CRVOL your sarcasm is not lost on us again. The vendetta continues against Coach Fulmer and his nemesis,the slick one CrVol. Film at eleven where CRVol is seen throwing rotten eggs and old maters at the coach. Flash this just in.....Jerry Springer has invited CRVol onto his show to spice it up. Coach Fulmer staying above the fray has declined the invitation to be on the 'show.'
Sheepscape writes:
Cafego's ghost is not impressed.
BOASoldier writes:
What's that CR stand for CRVol? Can't Remember, Cal Remembers, Cal Reinforcement,Cal's Revenge... just askin' there sunshine
BOASoldier writes:
I just wanted to call you by your full name their sunshine .. don't get cranky now I'd hate to have to call you out... and I tried to make the names I came up with simple so you could understand them
BOASoldier writes:
beleive is spelled believe... i before e except after c ... remember that it will come in handy
BOASoldier writes:
back to football talk anyone have anything relevant to say about our team?
BOASoldier writes:
Are you still posting? Oh you are... that's sweet
BOASoldier writes:
Stick with the message board theory ... I'd hate to think you were going to attack me personally ... I have no problem with you cause I don't know you ... but how bout saying something good for a change about the upcoming year or at least not saying a word til we that hope for the best are proven wrong and then I'll eat all the crow that you can throw
threehundredbowler writes:
CRVol,may I suggest a Colonoscopy?They are sure to find your head during the procedure.
vol4jesus writes:
Round up the wagons crvol they're coming at you! I know you tell them bring it on! This lovefest is too much for my heart. You could cut the air with a knife it is so thick. You have too admit(maybe) that saying Colquitt is our MVP is perceived as a lame effort at being gracious/positive.One wonders doe he really think that or is that a smoke screen? I don't agree with the suggestion to you by seven_pin. Too harsh for the stat man I say.
invisiblekid writes:
I think it is about time we fire the special teams coordinator. Seriously, I haven't felt good about this situation since they started talking about Colquitt handling all the duties. Not looking to play chicken little but it's a legitimate concern and could be a major issue if something happens during the season. Tend to agree with jawbreaker's comments on Lincoln. Doesn't seem too difficult to figure out if he can consistently kick it through the uprights or not and since the coaches seem hesitant to use him, I think we have our answer.
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