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Top freshman prospect Bryce Brown makes a breakaway run during the University of Tennessee football team's first official practice.
Just as Tennessee’s football team started to look like a healthier bunch, one of its most publicized newcomer headed toward the training room.
Freshman tailback Bryce Brown began practice Monday then left with a bothersome hip. The seriousness of Brown’s injury is not yet known.
“He started,” UT coach Lane Kiffin said following Monday’s practice, “then his hip (hurt). Something bothered him so they took him inside halfway through individual (drills).”
Other than Brown, the Vols got healthier on Monday.
Linebacker Rico McCoy (leg), receiver Gerald Jones (leg), defensive tackle Andre Mathis (knee) participated in full-contact drills as the Vols donned helmets, shorts and shoulder pads. The three had been held out of practice for most of last week.
Cornerback Brent Vinson (hamstring) and linebacker Herman Lathers (head) also worked in some drills but did not participate in 11-on-11.
Kiffin said defensive backs Art Evans and Stephaun Raines were “very close” to returning to practice and did some light work.
Tight end Luke Stocker did not practice after suffering a turf toe injury late last week. Kiffin said he would be out a few days.
McCoy’s return was more than welcome for a linebacking corp that has suffered more than its fair share of minor injuries this spring.
“It felt great just to be back out there in the swing of things with the guys,” McCoy said. “It’s rough for anybody to be on the sideline.”
McCoy was immediately inserted into the first-team defense at his familiar weakside linebacker position.
“I took advantage of being able to be out here and watch the practices,” the senior said. “I didn’t miss a rep mentally. That way I was able to stay on top.”
“They put me right back out there in the swing of things where I left off. I picked it right back up.”
Mathis felt a sense of urgency to return as he watched other defensive tackles getting the reps he missed while he was rehabilitating his injury.
“I just saw new players step up,” the senior said.
Vinson returned to practice for the first time since suffering a torn hamstring in the first week of camp. Vinson said the injury typically takes six weeks to heal. He returned in 10 days.
“I’m already running and cutting,” the junior said. “I’m just trying to take it slow. I don’t want to get too happy because I’m so competitive, I get out there and try to go full speed and end up hurting it again.”
Vinson said the injury could be a season-long struggle, as hamstring ailments often are.
“That’s football,” he said.
Vinson has dealt with injuries before, namely a shoulder injury that hampered him all last season.
“That’s one of the worst pains in the world so I know I’ll be able to play through this,” said Vinson, who added he’s received some first-team snaps upon his return.
Practice Report: Receiver Brandon Warren caught a pass, fumbled it into the air, caught it again then advanced up field. Alas, Warren fumbled again. This time the miscue was recovered by a defender. … Quarterback Jonathan Crompton hit Nu’Keese Richardson for a 60-yard touchdown after the receiver beat fellow freshman Mike Edwards. … David Oku fumbled. The freshman is wearing No. 27, Arian Foster’s old jersey number, so it was a familiar sight.
Rollercoaster Day: Fullback Kevin Cooper dropped two passes but made a nice one-handed catch on a pass that was thrown behind him.
“It was up and down but I just feel like I’ve got to keep working hard and be more consistent all the time,” the junior said. “I’ve got to make the catches that I know I’m supposed to make.”
Cooper missed some practice last week with flu-like symptoms.
Schedule: Kiffin said last Saturday’s scrimmage is the biggest of the preseason.
UT’s last scrimmage, on Aug. 29, will be a light scrimmage with no hitting and a heavy emphasis on situational team drills and special teams.
“It’s not a full scrimmage,” Kiffin said.
UT will take Wednesday off and practice Thursday and Friday before Saturday’s scrimmage.
Fresh Fans: Approximately 250 freshmen students attended Wednesday’s practice after Kiffin invited them at a school function on Sunday. The students surrounded and cheered on the Vols during an agility drill.
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 19
TSNSD4UT writes:
Lets hope it isnt anything serious with BB's hip.
Voluvr writes:
I hope that's nothing.
Plasticman writes:
Let's hope Brown is o.k. He needs to be healthy and be a big part of our offense this year. Cheap shot about # 27 from whoever wrote this article...
Volsarebest writes:
I was thinking that shot at #27 was a low blow myself.
vol_chaz writes:
another parting shot at arian? Classy.....
Hope Brown is a fast healer..bum hip, headache...what next?
Joevolsxtra writes:
Man, do we have a bunch of chinadolls or what? I remember back in '37 in high school when our QB had to have his leg amputated at half-time. He threw for four TD's and ran for two in the second half and then hop home up hill both ways in the September snow. Ahhhhh the good ole days.
vol_chaz writes:
I guess kns thinks its easy to take pot shots from the cheap seats, when no name is attached to this article..Also, everytime i read something about oku, its about him fumbling.
CoachFulmer writes:
Thats embarassing someone would put that comment about Arain Foster in this article. I could understand if an Auburn fan or a UCLA fan said that, but a columinst for KNS, unacceptable. Shame on you.
tums writes:
It was a low blow. But lets be honest, we are all too familiar with a #27 fumbling for UT for the last few years. At the worst times too.
stayingorange writes:
Cheap shot on Foster, Oku and the #27 - no name, no less
Bet it doesn't appear in print tomorrow.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Swear to the Lawd, I had to laugh at the description of B Warren fumbling twice on one play.
Happens to the best, I guess.
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
If any of you are on twitter and want to follow someone that gets the info on practice that you want to hear, follow @wesrucker.
If you're not on twitter, it would behoove you to join and follow this guy. He gets it done...
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
You guys had the forward pass in '37? When I graduated in '28 we could only run the ball. And it started snowing in June, back then.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
We walked to school in the snow bare-footed.
Uphill both ways.
Volunatic writes:
You guys had rocks and thorns on the field? Man that's plush. We had nothing but broken glass and radioactive waste on our football field, with barbed wire for the lines, back when I was in HS. The players that survived were TOUGH.
orangeluvr writes:
The 'nooga TFP is one of the top sport pages in the south. Wes RUCKER is the UT beat writer(and a good one).
GOJO writes:
The heading says "GO Vols", so could you just report without demeaning the players?
GOJO writes:
The page heading says "Go Vols", so could you just report without demeaning present or past players? Looks like a blogger from Florida or maybe S.C. wrote it.
FreeTDTN writes:
Dupree says this makes sense to him.
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