Bear of an Opener

BERKELEY, Calif. - This time a year ago, no one knew exactly what to expect from Tennessee.

Certainly not many of the 106,009 fans who filled Neyland Stadium had a clue just what the Vols would do coming off a 5-6 season against the ninth-ranked team in the country.

On the opening kickoff, California tight end Craig Stevens was knocked out and never returned.

On the Vols' first play from scrimmage, Robert Meachem - up to then an unproven, somewhat disappointing player - caught a 41-yard pass from Erik Ainge, the same Erik Ainge who had yet to rebound from his struggles in 2005.

On Tennessee's next possession, Ainge found Chris Brown for a 12-yard touchdown and a 35-18 rout was on.

From the first snap of tonight's 8 p.m. EDT kickoff (TV: WATE) at No. 12 Cal, it's all forgotten.

In fact, it went out the window a long time ago.

"When you're up 35-0 and the starters get taken out and the next year you're a six-point underdog again, that's obviously frustrating," said UT quarterback Erik Ainge. "That, if anything, has added a little something to our practice, our work ethic and what we've done about things."

All Cal did following last year's embarrassing loss, one that saw UT holding a 35-0 lead less than halfway through the third quarter, was win 10 of its final 12 games, including a 45-10 pasting of Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl.

Cal quarterback Nate Longshore, who against Tennessee finished 11 of 20 for 85 yards with an interception in his first start, finished the year with 24 touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards passing.

"Nate Longshore's a great quarterback," says UT middle linebacker Jerod Mayo, who sacked Longshore twice during last year's game. "If you let him sit there and throw the ball, he's just as good as anyone in the nation."

Receiver and kick returner DeSean Jackson just might be better than anyone else in the nation.

And Cal, well, the Vols know last year's opener in Neyland Stadium was the Golden Bears' worst game of the year, except perhaps a 23-9 loss to No. 4 Southern California.

"They're definitely a better team than they were at the beginning of the season last year," linebacker Ryan Karl said.

But just where are the Vols?

The loss of receivers Meachem, Jayson Swain and Bret Smith left the receiving corps depleted.

Veterans like Austin Rogers, Lucas Taylor and Josh Briscoe will get their first chance to make plays today, with a talented group of freshmen waiting to make an impact.

The secondary, which replaces three starters from last season, gets its first test today against a team that doesn't wear orange.

So, too, does an offensive line that must replace Jacobs Award-winning left tackle Arron Sears.

Can Tennessee's defensive tackles stop the run?

Can its backs give the Vols more than the 108 yards per game they provided last year?

Vols fans have had all summer to debate those issues.

The latest question, though, is the effectiveness of Ainge, who enters his senior season after setting UT's single-season record for completion percentage last year.

On Tuesday, UT coach Phillip Fulmer announced that Ainge had jammed the pinky finger on his throwing hand.

On Wednesday, the Vols learned it was broken.

On Thursday, Ainge threw to teammates during practice with the finger taped to his ring finger, and Fulmer pronounced the senior ready to go.

All-SEC punter Britton Colquitt, who just a few weeks ago was penciled in to handle all of UT's kicking duties, is expected only to punt.

Redshirt freshman Daniel Lincoln, who began and ended fall camp strong despite consistency issues in between, will handle kickoffs and extra points.

But exactly how will the Vols handle their first rematch in a season-opener since they began the 1980 and 1981 seasons against Georgia?

Karl says it's not that much different than it was last fall, when the Vols were bombarded with talk of their 5-6 2005.

"I don't think anything's different," he said. "We still have that chip on our shoulder from losing to Penn State in the bowl game. We want to go out and get back on the right track, the winning track.

"It's our first step to make our goals of winning a championship."

Fulmer, who turns 57 today, has consistently stressed the need to forget last year's opener in order to make sure this year is worth remembering.

"They get that message constantly," Fulmer said. "Last year is not going to affect this year that much either way. Megaphones, cowbells, gator chomps, all that doesn't matter if you're mature and tough. We've taken that approach.

"They've got 11 on the field, that's all they got. Are they better than our 11?"

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.