It didn’t take long to realize a difference in Justin Worley during Tennessee’s first practice since returning from Athens, Georgia.

And while the difference did have something to do with the senior quarterback’s right elbow – the one he injured during Saturday’s contest against the Bulldogs – it had no affect on his ability to throw the ball.

Instead, the difference was one of fashion – and protection – as Worley practiced on Tuesday sporting a padded sleeve on his banged-up elbow.

And while second-year head coach Butch Jones said Worley was “100 percent,” UT’s signal caller did mention that he was dealing with some soreness from his injury.

“It’s a typical bruise,” Worley said. “There’s a little bit of discomfort when I throw, but nothing major.”

The reason for the sleeve is due to the Vols’ training staff not wanting “any freak incidents to happen” at practice, but Worley also stated he plans on wearing the sleeve during Saturday’s contest against Florida.

Even with a new piece of equipment added to his game attire, the Rock Hill, South Carolina, native doesn’t think the sleeve will have any effect on how he throws.

“It doesn’t affect anything at all,” Worley said. “It fits so tight that you don’t really notice it’s there.”

Picking up the pace: Since his arrival in December 2012, Jones has preached about increased tempo in his Volunteer spread offense.

Despite all the stress he placed on speeding up the game, UT didn’t necessarily live up to their coaches’ expectations in 2013 as they averaged only 67.7 offensive snaps per game.

Their tempo, however, has seen a marked improvement through four games this season, with the Vols currently averaging 79.25 plays per game.

“I think everybody is taking pride in pushing our tempo,” Worley said. “We know it’s an advantage we can use. We take pride in our conditioning because we know it’s important and some of these guys have really said ‘Hey, we’re going to focus on pushing our tempo,’ and I think you’ve seen that so far.”

The increase in the offense’s tempo is a key factor in why the Vols’ points per game has risen to 28.5 points per game through the first four games after posting a 23.8 points per game clip last year.

“With our fast-paced tempo, we know we are going to get some defenses down and get them tired and put them on their heels a little bit,” freshman running back Jalen Hurd said.

But now that their pace is finally up to a level he is happy with, Jones wants to see an improvement in how the Vols execute those additional plays.

“We’ve made tremendous strides in our tempo,” Jones said. “But it’s also about what you are doing with those plays. We also look at points per play … That’s the big thing, making those plays count, making those possessions count.”

Nothin’ but a knee thang: One week after he was spotted running around the sidelines of Haslam Field, offensive lineman Jacon Gilliam strapped on the pads and participated in Tuesday’s practice.

The redshirt senior is only one month removed from tearing his ACL, but he is currently working towards a mid-season return.

“Just having him back on the field in his uniform working speaks volumes for his competitive character, his drive, and his passion for Tennessee and his love of this football team,” Jones said. “There is a chance that he could play again this year.”

Jones stated that the Knoxville native is at least a couple of weeks from returning, but also mentioned that they are in no rush to work him back into the lineup.

“Not really placing any expectations on him, if it happens, it is a bonus, it is a benefit,” Jones said. “So again, we are going to be extremely patient, we are going to make sure he does everything that he needs to be able to perform at a high level before we put him out there.”

Smith stunted: On Monday, it seemed like sophomore wide receiver Josh Smith’s participation for the Vols’ upcoming contest against the Gators was less than likely.

It didn’t take long for Jones to make that thought official, though, as the UT head coach announced on Tuesday that Smith would be held out of Saturday’s matchup.

As for his fellow sprained ankle recoveree Von Pearson, the wide receiver participated a little bit during Tuesday’s practice, but Jones said his status will be decided on Saturday.