Stephens' motto: play smart

Dave Clawson would rather not talk about it, but thanks for asking.

Bring up sophomore quarterback Nick Stephens' 69 consecutive passes without an interception, and Tennessee's offensive coordinator won't bite.

"I'm not talking about that," Clawson said, grinning. "That's off limits."

Clawson and his quarterback hope to make the football off limits to Alabama defenders Saturday night when the second-ranked Crimson Tide (7-0, 4-0SEC) comes to Knoxville for a 7:45 kickoff (TV: ESPN).

Through his first three games as a starter, taking care of the ball has been one of Stephens' best qualities.

In UT's first four games, Jonathan Crompton threw four interceptions in 123 passing attempts. Since then, Stephens' only turnover was a fumble against Northern Illinois that came when he was sacked.

That's not to say Stephens hasn't made a few dangerous throws for the Vols (3-4, 1-3). By Clawson's count, his quarterback could have thrown three interceptions in his last two games alone.

"Georgia, there's probably two balls that should have been picked," Clawson said. "And there was one ball against Mississippi State they got their hands on that easily could have been an interception. But for the most part, he's taken care of the ball and thrown it away when it's appropriate."

Still, against Georgia's defense, which ranks 12th in the nation in yards allowed, Stephens and the Vols were turnover free in a 26-14 loss. They did it again last Saturday with better results in a 34-3 victory over Mississippi State.

"I need to continue to do that if we're going to have a chance to win," Stephens said. "Throwing interceptions is a bad thing, but it happens. It's going to happen sometime. I know that, and I'm prepared for that. I just need to continue to try and play smart."

UT coach Phillip Fulmer has been pleased with Stephens' performance thus far, albeit with a caveat.

"I've been pleased with Nick for a first-time starter," Fulmer said. "He's had enough games now under his belt. His game management has been good, but there's another step, there's another level. And that's not to press him into forcing balls or anything like that. Just another step that he can make. And you see progress being made that way."

Perhaps the biggest progression Stephens has made is his ability to turn a busted play into positive yards.

Against Georgia, he bought time when the pocket broke down and found Lucas Taylor in the end zone for a score. Last week, he scrambled for 18 yards after fullback Kevin Cooper missed a block on a passing play.

"Nick's not a guy that I would say is nifty or super-quick, but he showed enough awareness and used his feet when it was appropriate," Clawson said. "I don't think anyone's looking at him saying, 'Man, we don't want to get him running on the perimeter.' But you want a quarterback to have awareness."

So far, that awareness has been better on Saturday than it's been from Sunday through Friday, Clawson said.

"Nick has actually made better decisions in games than he does in practice," he said. "There's throws that he'll make in practice that you just shake your head and go, 'What were you thinking?'"

Stephens doesn't like the practice miscues any more than Clawson, he said, but it does provide a learning opportunity that doesn't cost the Vols points.

"If you make a mistake in practice, it's not going to hurt the team. It's going to let you know what you can and can't do," he said. "It's not one of those things were you go out and try to fit a ball through a tight window on every play. I don't try to do that. Just in certain plays and certain situations, I'll try and make a play. If it doesn't work out, I know not to carry that over into Saturday. If it does work out, I know what I can do with that play."

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

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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