Crompton suffered concussion in fourth quarter against UCLA

Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton did not practice Wednesday, UT's first practice since losing to UCLA 27-24 on Monday night.

Crompton suffered a concussion midway through the fourth quarter during the season opener and is struggling with a sore right ankle that was twisted later in the game.

Neither injury is expected to keep Crompton out of game week, which begins Sunday. Crompton was only wearing a small brace on the ankle and was walking without a limp.

"I'm fine," the junior said. "A little sore, nothing too bad. I'm ready to go. Just got to play through it."

Coach Phillip Fulmer called Wednesday a rest day for Crompton, who was 19-of-41 for 189 yards and an interception against UCLA.

"He made some really good plays in the game and made some really not-so-good plays in the game," Fulmer said.

Fulmer commended his quarterback's toughness behind an offensive line that uncharacteristically struggled to protect its passer. The Vols gave up only four sacks last season.

"He was a warrior and fought, threw the ball well at times, stood in the pocket and got the heck beat out of him a lot more than he should have," said Fulmer, who added that the Vols should have rolled Crompton out more often.

"I think it was a learning experience for him in the first ballgame, and he'll just get better from here."

Crompton was sacked once by the Bruins but was pressured on several occasions.

"They did a real good job on their twists (stunts) getting us in bad positions," junior center Josh McNeil said. "But it was more of what we did than what they did that hurt us in the end."

Reviewing the game film was not pleasant for offensive guard Anthony Parker.

"It was just a bitter taste in my mouth," the senior said. "I feel like there was a bunch of things we knew was coming and it was a lack of execution on our part."

Parker said UCLA utilized numerous blitzes and stunts to keep UT off balance. Ironically, the Vols had seen it all before - during preseason camp.

"It was pretty much like playing against our defense in practice," Parker said. "Our defense brings pretty much everything."

And that was the case with UCLA's defense, which Parker said was as multiple as any team he's played. Following practice on Haslam Field on Wednesday, Crompton wasn't pointing to problems up front.

"I've got to make more consistent plays than what I did," he said. "I expect more out of myself than what I gave."

Soft Coverage, Tough Coach: Defensive backs coach Larry Slade handled all the tough questions from the media concerning what many perceived to be soft coverage in the second half against UCLA.

"There were some we'd have liked to play a little closer up," Slade said.

Slade said he believes fans tend to dwell on soft coverage, which can be a worthy weapon in a defense's arsenal.

"They're not there," Slade said of fan criticism. "Obviously, (they) don't quite understand it, don't understand what all goes into it so I let that kind of roll off of me.

Slade said he'd face criticism if UT's defensive backs played press coverage and were then beat deep.

"I guess we'd be standing here talking about something else," Slade said to a group of reporters. "We're going to do our thing. I promise you we will be better."

Slade said UT's game plan didn't change much from the first to the second half, even though it seemed the Vols were playing much farther off of UCLA's receivers beginning in the third quarter.

"I think sometimes they think they're playing a game," Slade said of the players in his secondary. "Sometimes they're going to play up on them sometimes and off of them sometimes."

While Slade wasn't pleased with such inconsistencies in technique, he pointed out that UCLA's longest pass completion was good for just 21 yards.

"We saw some guys play real well for a big part of the game but in some critical situations make some mistakes," Slade said.

Slade said the Vols could get sophomore cornerback Brent Vinson back for UT's next game, against UAB on Sept. 13. Vinson was on academic suspension last week.

That could be a key addition. The Vols were forced to play junior Marsalous Johnson at right cornerback in place of sophomore starter Dennis Rogan, who was sidelined with a pulled abdominal muscle.

Rogan plays corner and safety for the Vols, making him a difficult player to replace.

Johnson, however, fared well. Slade said he graded out at 90 percent against UCLA.

Wristbands Explained: During its broadcast Monday night, ESPN reported that Tennessee's coaches distributed armbands to players before the Vols' final possession of the first half.

On Wednesday, wide receiver Gerald Jones said those armbands were related to UT's two-minute offense.

"The quarterback always has wristbands to call plays from," Jones said. "The reason why we went to the wristbands was we went to two-minute. We didn't switch anything. It wasn't anything off key or anything."

The Vols took possession with 2:39 remaining in the first half, and the drive ended with a missed 55-yard field goal with 1:14 to go.

Injury Report: Rogan's injury is not thought to be serious. He should be available for the UAB game.

Junior safety Demetrice Morley practiced with a cast on his hand Wednesday.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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