When Matt Simms started his first game of the season against LSU, there was a clear difference in Tennessee’s offense.
    
But it didn’t have anything to do with Simms’ arm.
    
With Simms in, the Vols rushed for positive yardage (111) against an SEC opponent for the first time this year.
    
“Matt helps you in the run game. It’s one of his strengths by trying to get you in good looks,” said UT coach Derek Dooley. “He gives you a better schematic advantage. He has an ability to recognize fronts and know what to run and where to run it. When you are a good running team, that is what you have to do. You can’t just call a play and hope it works. You have to be able to count it, so he helps us in that.”
    
Against Florida, the Vols rushed for negative-9 yards. Against Georgia, they had negative-20 yards.
    
Tauren Poole was the biggest beneficiary of Simms’ ability to read defenses and call successful plays. He rushed for 70 yards on 19 carries against the Tigers, which is 52 yards more than he did in the other two SEC games this year.
    
“I just think Matt has a great feel for the game,” said Poole. “You can see it on Saturdays. He definitely expects a lot of himself, and he expects us to get in the right calls. He knows a lot. We can see it in practice. We see it in games.
    
“It helps me a lot because he IDs the Mike (middle linebacker), and a lot of it has to do with who I’m blocking, what am I seeing, how am I getting out on the route, who am I reading in the run game. It helps me a lot, and I’m just happy to have him back there.”
    
Still, though, the Vols’ 89 ground yards a game ranks 114th out of 120 schools in the nation.
    
Poole credited the offensive line and full backs for stepping up their physicality and knowing their assignments, which was exactly what they have been striving for in practice recently.
    
“I think we did a lot better of a job identifying linebackers,” said fullback Ben Bartholomew. “And the O-line worked a lot all last week on getting the run game better. We were just a lot more physical this week and I think we’re going to continue to press being more physical and just exploding off the ball.”
    
Simms went just 6-for-20 for 128 yards and two interceptions against LSU, and he won’t get an easy game to help him ease back into the starting role against No. 2 Alabama, which is allowing just seven points a game. Tennessee’s run game knows it has to step up.
    
“We have to capitalize on making big plays on as many plays as we can,” said Poole.
    
Stone/Bullard flip
    
Alex Bullard, who started six games at left guard for the Vols, will switch places with center James Stone against Alabama this week.
    
“If (the coaches) didn’t believe it gave us a better shot to win, I doubt they would be (making the change),” Bullard said. “We just have to trust them and we are rolling with it. I felt good today.”