From the beginning of his tenure as the UT head coach in December, Butch Jones has remained adamant.
Whether the audience is a hoard of reporters and a live ESPN feed at SEC Media Days or a small group of student leaders, he preaches that Tennessee will be defined by how it handles adversity.
The Vols finally encountered some of that adversity on Saturday in their loss to Oregon, and Jones was not thrilled with the reaction of his team.
“I thought that the game became fast, we suffered some adversity,” Jones said. “And we had some individuals make some uncharacteristic mistakes and mental errors.”
Some of the adversity the Vols are encountering in the early season is beyond their control, however.
Injuries are seeping through an already-thin depth chart and forcing players like linebackers John Propst and Christian Harris into consistent action.
Along the defensive line, Corey Vereen is yet to play in 2013, Trevarris Saulsberry is out three to six weeks and Maurice Couch remains out indefinitely, pending the results of a possible impermissible benefits situation.
Jacques Smith played Saturday but is still on the mend from a broken hand.
Saulsberry injured his knee against the Ducks Saturday, and Jones said Monday the results of an MRI on the sophomore from Gainesville, Fla. are pending.
“He was probably playing the best of anyone that we had up front,” Jones said. “So losing him was a major, major setback for the interior of our defense.”
Daniel Hood shared the story of Saulsberry’s emergence, saying that he responded and stepped up following a meeting where teammates challenged him to become an asset along the line.
“He was starting to really improve his game a lot,” Hood said.
Saulsberry’s injury along with the other missing links along the front figure to push freshman Jason Carr into action when the Vols visit Florida for a 3:30 p.m. matchup on Saturday.
“It is what it is,” Jones said. “He (Carr) is going to have to grow up in a hurry. He will gain some valuable repetitions in practice and he has to be game ready to go for the Gators.”
Hood praised Carr and redshirt freshman Danny O’Brien for their development as potential fill-ins. However, the senior didn’t deny the adversity that UT’s front line is facing as the Vols embark on a treacherous portion of their schedule.
“We are going to need our scout team guys to pick up the intensity too because the offense needs someone to get them looks so they can prepare for Florida,” Hood said. “If we don’t have guys down there with good energy and can stand their tempo, then they won’t be able to get a good look and perform in practice.”
Offensively, wide receivers Alton Howard and Johnathon Johnson are expected to return after missing the Oregon game. Both slot receivers were limited participants during Tuesday’s practice.
Whether linebacker Curt Maggitt will play for the first time in 2013 remains to be seen. The junior standout has been a game-time decision in UT’s previous two games.
