Fulmer's focus: Winning out : govolsxtra.com

Another disappointing, double-digit loss left Tennessee singing the same refrain.

But the Vols’ 27-6 loss to South Carolina on Saturday, left Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier crowing about the absence of another familiar tune.

“The Tennessee band was there last night, weren’t they?” Spurrier said Sunday afternoon in his weekly conference call with reporters. “I’m used to hearing ‘Rocky Top.’ . . . Maybe they only play that when they score. Usually when you play Tennessee, you hear that ‘Rocky Top’ so often it’s ringing in your brain.”

Tennessee, 3-6 heading into Saturday’s 1 p.m. homecoming game against Wyoming (TV: Pay-per-view), is singing the same old tune about continuing to work and not letting their frustration show.

UT coach Phillip Fulmer said the example must come from the coaches.

“That what’s I started the staff meeting off about,” Fulmer said Sunday night on his weekly teleconference. “Our energy, the look in our eyes, the demeanor and how we approach it in meetings, film sessions, practice and everything, we’re professionals and we have and will continue to be looking forward to playing and excited about getting a win and moving forward.”

For Fulmer, who continues to draw fire from fans and others, it hasn’t been an easy thing to do.

“Anybody that likes Tennessee and cares about what the product looks like on the field is frustrated,” Fulmer said, echoing comments from this year. “I’m disappointed that we haven’t played well. I don’t think I’ve let it show on the practice field or in meetings. The players, they’re disappointed and frustrated, but they haven’t let it show in the game. We continue to get effort and haven’t seen a whole lot of finger pointing or anything like that.

“They’ve done what we’ve asked them to do and what they should do, and that’s continue to work and stay positive, play hard and look forward to what the next challenge is.”

This week’s challenge is Wyoming, which improved to 3-6 with a 35-10 victory over San Diego State on Saturday.

More than the Cowboys, who rank last in the nation but only five spots behind Tennessee with an average of 11.7 points per game, the Vols’ biggest challenge could be finding a way to reach another adjusted goal.

Losses to Auburn, Florida and Georgia wiped out any hope for Tennessee to repeat as SEC East champions.

Subsequent losses to Alabama and South Carolina leave the Vols needing to win their final three games to finish 6-6 for the chance to reach a lower-tier bowl.

Fulmer pointed to several upperclassmen on defense — Robert Ayers, Wes Brown, Dan Williams, Walter Fisher, Ellix Wilson and Rico McCoy — as players responsible for making sure the Vols don’t slide into selfishness.

“They continue to work and fight,” Fulmer said. “The younger guys, they’ll follow suit. That’s what I expect and that’s what I see.”

But after Saturday’s loss to South Carolina, Spurrier saw something different than he’s used to seeing from the Vols.

He also downplayed the significance of his team’s victory over Tennessee, despite the fact the Gamecocks won for just the fourth time in 27 all-time meetings dating back to 1903.

“We didn’t make a big deal about Tennessee,” Spurrier said, noting that his team was a six-point favorite over the Vols. “We were supposed to beat them last night. We could have beaten them by more maybe if our offense had got going.

“Tennessee isn’t what they’ve been in the past.”

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