Freshmen set for splash on depth chart

Tennessee's freshman class has had an impact since the first day of preseason football camp. And it's not running out of steam.

As the team concluded its third week of preseason practice with a Saturday scrimmage, a number of freshmen are contending for positions on the two-deep depth chart.

Tackle Montori Hughes started with the first-team defense. Running back Bryce Brown looked outstanding on four runs for 29 yards, and fellow freshman David Oku had 16 carries for 36 yards.

Freshman wide receiver Marsalis Teague is running with the second team and is a candidate for the kick-return job. Nu'Keese Richardson, another freshman wide receiver, has taken snaps in a shot-gun package at quarterback throughout the preseason and also is returning punts.

Richardson, who is listed at 165 pounds, broke two tackles on one end run in the scrimmage. He also broke a couple of tackles on a punt return.

The returns weren't all good. Richardson muffed one punt and bobbled another one before regaining control.

"Anytime with young guys in the return game, (fumbling is) always a fear," coach Lane Kiffin said. "Because it is such a big play. That's why we gave them some live ones.

"A lot of times you go through camp and you never go live on returns, and that would have happened two weeks from today (in the season opener). So hopefully, we're working through it."

Freshman Mike Edwards almost broke one kick return for a touchdown and continued to make plays at cornerback.

"Mike is very physical at corner for us," Kiffin said. "I think eventually he will be a great player."

Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said: "He's got to be a little more consistent for us in practice. He's always played well in the scrimmages."

Defensive end Chris Walker is among those who has been impressed with Edwards' playmaking ability.

"Mike has been a ball hawk this whole time," Walker said of Edwards, who wasn't ranked as highly as UT's bigger-name recruits. "The coaches have been on him to see how he responds. I think he has responded really well.

"Sometimes, people just get overlooked in recruiting. He's one of them. I'm just glad that we've got him."

Freshman defensive tackle Marlon Walls is running second team although he didn't join the team until midway through camp after finally being ruled eligible by the NCAA clearinghouse.

"He's showed some quickness," defensive line coach Ed Orgeron said. "We expect him to contribute in the lineup this year."

Freshman linebackers Jerod Askew, Greg King and Nigel Mitchell-Thornton also are contending for playing time.

"I'm happy with the way their attitudes are and the way they're working," linebackers coach Lance Thompson said. "Are they making progress? Yeah, they've come a long way.

"Do they have a long way to go? Yeah, we've got a long way to go."

Stepping Up: A handful of starters played only about 10 plays in the scrimmage. But that doesn't mean they had an easy day.

They ran the stadium steps for about 45 minutes while their teammates were scrimmaging in the second half. And Walker was wearing a 20-pound vest.

"I wanted to play more instead of run those stairs," he said.

That's a common practice at Camp Kiffin.

"They want to get the most out of us," Walker said. "They want us working hard."

Fullback Fodder: Kevin Cooper showed unusual speed for a UT fullback on 45- and 14-yard pass receptions. He got behind the defense when quarterback Jonathan Crompton scrambled away from a pass rush on the 45-yard gain.

Although Cooper had a big block on one early scrimmage run, Kiffin expects his blocking to improve.

"He's a little bit lighter," Kiffin said. "So he looks a little better in the passing game.

"He got sick and lost about 10 pounds during camp. He'll continue to try and gain that weight back."

Pushing On: Defensive end Gerald Williams, who was dominant in the previous Saturday scrimmage, wasn't as disruptive this time.

"I guess they schemed up pretty good," he said with a smile. "But the defense did its job."

Williams said his competition with Ben Martin is ongoing.

"We just got to keep pushing on," said Williams, who moved ahead of Martin during the second week of preseason camp. "Me or Ben: Either one of us could start."

Mike Strange contributed to this report.