UT's Teague looks like a good catch

Marsalis Teague shouldn't be this good this early.

Not only is Teague a freshman; he's also a newbie at receiver, having played quarterback at Henry County High School in Paris, Tenn.

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin has little experience with such transitions. He recruited receivers at Southern California - not quarterbacks to play receiver.

"We did not transfer any guys like that," Kiffin said, referring to his career at USC. "It tends to be more common in the South. For whatever reason, a lot of high schools put their best player at quarterback."

In California, pro-style offenses are more common, meaning there are more pocket passers. In the South, spread-option attacks have become widespread since Florida became so successful in that type of system with coach Urban Meyer.

Teague had to learn the intricacies of receiver quickly after arriving on campus last summer.

"We've seen Marsalis improve a ton from when he got here to now," Kiffin said.

Teague said he sat back and watched UT's veteran receivers when he arrived on campus. That helped improve his technique. Reading defenses was more natural since he had done it as a quarterback in high school.

"That was kind of easy for me," Teague said.

Despite the transition, Teague was UT's leading receiver last week against Western Kentucky with six catches for 86 yards.

Teague said he received 173 congratulatory messages on his cell phone after the game.

More Motivation: Defensive end Chris Walker said revenge is a motivator as the Vols prepare for UCLA. The Bruins beat UT 27-24 in overtime in Pasadena last season.

"Whenever a team beats you the year before, you want to get some revenge on them," the junior said. "We didn't play very well in the last couple of minutes so we have something to prove, that we can beat a team that beat us last year."

Walker said UT's players lingered on the season-opening loss to UCLA too long last season, especially the way UT faltered in the fourth quarter.

"We have to play for 60 minutes against any team to finish it out," Walker said.

Injury Report: Offensive guard Vladimir Richard did not practice Tuesday. The senior is dealing with a sore Achilles tendon in his left leg. Richard was wearing a brace. Kiffin said he hopes to get Richard on the practice field this week before determining if he can play Saturday.

Center Josh McNeil wasn't wearing shoulder pads but donned cleats and ran less than two weeks after surgery to his knee. Kiffin had said McNeil's career was in serious jeopardy but McNeil said "Hopefully soon" when asked by an onlooker at practice when he might be back.

Pac-10 Powwow: Safety Eric Berry said there's a misconception among some that think the Pac-10 is a soft football conference.

"I think they're a lot more physical than people think," the junior said, "with a good combination of speed, also."

Walker agreed.

"I wouldn't think they were less physical than any other team we played," he said.

Deep D-Ends: Walker said he's surprised by the emergence of UT's defensive ends, six of whom could play Saturday. The depth could also help the Vols next week at Florida.

"Being able to go six deep is something that's really going to be a plus for us when it comes down to being down in Gainesville where it's hot," Walker said.

Hit Him Hard, Sort Of: Berry said he's not sure how to avoid the penalties that haunted defenders in the first week of college football. The NCAA is trying to crack down this year on hits at the shoulders or higher against defenseless players.

"I don't know if you're supposed to hit him low when he jumps . . . I really don't know," Berry said.

Berry said attacking the ball and/or receiver can be tough. Often, some of his hits are created when he realizes he can't intercept the pass at the last second.

"I don't think there's a technique to tackling over the middle," Berry said.

Fully Loaded: Kiffin said he's worked more shotgun plays into his offense than previously in his career.

"It is something that our quarterback is very good at," said Kiffin, who added that the formation also helps his offensive line in certain situations.

Kiffin said UT could run even more shotgun this season, adding that he has gone an entire season without calling it in the past.

Kiffin Cut: UT's coach said he was pleased the Vols were healthy following Saturday's game but added that his team hasn't been tested.

"The thing I'm nervous about is we still haven't played a game," Kiffin said. "Our guys don't know what it's like to play 80 plays in a real game. We've got a big challenge ahead of us.

"It was good to get a lot of guys to play but at the same time we have a lot of work to do. We need to have very physical, intense practices this week to make sure we're ready for a full game."

Scouting Report: Kiffin complimented UCLA redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince, who was 18-of-29 for 176 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown against San Diego State.

Berry said it's important to keep Prince uncomfortable since he's played so little football in college.

"That's very important," Berry said. "We need to keep him out of rhythm and make sure he doesn't get open looks and easy completions. Just need to stay on his case the whole game."

Berry said UCLA's offense looks similar to UT's - both pro-style approaches. Kiffin coached under UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow when the two were at Southern California.

Kiffin said UCLA defensive tackle Brian Price could be a first-round NFL draft pick.

"It's going to be a completely different deal for our center and guards than it was last week," Kiffin said.

Price was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection after registering 14 tackles for a loss in 2008.

Kiffin also said UCLA's special teams will be a test Saturday.

Mahelona Fund: A trust fund has been set up for the survivors of former UT lineman Jesse Mahelona, who was killed Friday in an automobile accident in Hawaii.

Mahelona is survived by wife Brandee Kukita-Mahelona, who is pregnant with their second child. There is also an 18-month-old daughter.

Donations may be sent to the Jesse Mahelona Trust, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC, c/o John Verble, 1111 Northshore Drive, Suite N-160, Knoxville, TN 37919.