Tennessee football just met with their first loss of the season.
Surprisingly enough, it didn't come from outside competition, but through the behavior of the Volunteer's own junior All-SEC wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers. Head coach Derek Dooley notified the team Thursday morning regarding Rogers' indefinite suspension from the team.
"When you get into the coaching profession, you quickly learn that the number one professional hazard is the behavior of 18-22 year olds," Dooley said. "I can assure you guys this, there is not one player or really one member of the whole organization that we are not prepared to go play without."
Which is exactly what the team must learn to do. Rogers was suspended for breaking what was referred to as "team rules." Dooley said it is unlikely that Rogers will be returning to the program.
"We always hate it when one of our players gets suspended, but despite the news, our focus is on the guys here and what our opponent is coming up with next," Dooley said. "(NC-State) is a great quality opponent, so that is where we are. We had a real good practice and the players are going to get a couple of days off to recover physically and then we will crank up heavy game week come Sunday."
In and out of trouble since signing with Tennessee, Rogers still posted 1,040 receiving yards, nine receiving touchdowns and the most receptions in the SEC all in the 2011 season. His absence will be a blow to Tennessee offense, but junior record-breaking quarterback Tyler Bray said he's confident in his teammates' ability to step up to the challenge.
"Losing a receiver never helps," Bray said. "But we have two guys right now who are really good, we have Zach Rogers stepping in and we have Mychal Rivera at tight end."
Senior wide receiver Zach Rogers has already faced a similar situation when junior wide receiver Justin Hunter suffered a season-ending injury last year. Following Hunter's injury in the Florida game, he had 11 catches for 150 yards. Rogers said he's ready to follow in (Da'Rick) Roger's footsteps, hopefully without the rule-breaking.
"I had to do it last year too when Justin (Hunter) went down," Rogers said. "I had to step up and everybody has to step up. I have to be around for the younger guys to help them progress a little bit faster because they weren't really expecting anything too much in these few games, but they're gonna be forcing some playing time."
Senior tight end Mychal Rivera refused to comment on the team's disappointment in Roger's actions and said he just hopes the best for Rogers.
"You're always surprised when something bad happens to one of your teammates, but you just have to stay positive about the situation," Rivera said. "Always when a teammate goes down you try to reach out to him send him a text, call him, if you see him around give him positive news and stuff."
For the Vols, this is just another bump in the road. Bray said they're not worried about the affect on the team and are just fighting to make sure there are no more losses, on or off the field.
"We have a mature group this year so we'll be fine," Bray said. "We're just trying to get our game plan going for NC state. Just trying to move forward and come out with the win."
"Losing a receiver never helps," Bray said. "But we have two guys right now who are really good, we have Zach Rogers stepping in and we have Mychal Rivera at tight end."
Senior wide receiver Zach Rogers has already faced a similar situation when junior wide receiver Justin Hunter suffered a season-ending injury last year. Following Hunter's injury in the Florida game, he had 11 catches for 150 yards. Rogers said he's ready to follow in (Da'Rick) Roger's footsteps, hopefully without the rule-breaking.
"I had to do it last year too when Justin (Hunter) went down," Rogers said. "I had to step up and everybody has to step up. I have to be around for the younger guys to help them progress a little bit faster because they weren't really expecting anything too much in these few games, but they're gonna be forcing some playing time."
Senior tight end Mychal Rivera refused to comment on the team's disappointment in Roger's actions and said he just hopes the best for Rogers.
"You're always surprised when something bad happens to one of your teammates, but you just have to stay positive about the situation," Rivera said. "Always when a teammate goes down you try to reach out to him send him a text, call him, if you see him around give him positive news and stuff."
For the Vols, this is just another bump in the road. Bray said they're not worried about the affect on the team and are just fighting to make sure there are no more losses, on or off the field.
"We have a mature group this year so we'll be fine," Bray said. "We're just trying to get our game plan going for NC state. Just trying to move forward and come out with the win."