Today on Rocky Top: Lady Vols Losses, 3rd Football Practice
The third football practice of preseason and losses on the women’s basketball team lead the Tennessee Volunteers news on Rocky Top for Thursday, Aug. 4.
Fall Camp continues on for Butch Jones and Tennessee football as the Vols get set for the start of the 2016 season, which is exactly four weeks away from today.
That’s the exciting news.
There is also some unfortunate news that deals with the Tennessee Lady Vols that we are going to have to get into today. But with the women’s basketball season three months away, they have time to get things ready.
Football is a bit more pressing, so we are going to start with that news first.
Tennessee football practices in pads Wednesday – Mike Griffith of SEC Country
"Tennessee coach Butch Jones continued to press the tempo as the Vols took to Haslam Field for the third fall practice Wednesday afternoon, this time resorting to a one-on-one, prove-it type of contact drill.The players donned shoulder pads for the first time, working their way up to the first contact practice on Saturday."
Lady Vols’ Andraya Carter retires, Te’a Cooper injured for year – Dan Fleser of The Tennessean
"With Carter and Cooper out, Tennessee is down to nine available players for next season. Junior college signee Charidene Green already was out with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee suffered before she came to UT. She underwent surgery late last month.Given the circumstances, Warlick is pumping the brakes on her preferred style of play, which involves pressing and a fast tempo."
Vols toying with tweaks on defensive line – Wes Rucker of 247Sports
"Finding reps for seven or more worthy defensive ends might be a chore for first-year Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop this fall, and he knows that.Moving some of those ends to defensive tackle — where the Vols don’t have nearly as much depth — from time to time might be the best way to do that, and Shoop also knows that."
Why Vols’ offensive line is not yet settled – Dustin Dopirak of The Tennessean
"Tennessee offensive line coach Don Mahoney hasn’t had a unit with this much experience since 2013 when he came to Knoxville with coachButch Jones and found tackles Antonio Richardson and Ja’Wuan James in a starting lineup that included four seniors.This season, the Vols return their starters at all three of the interior positions — left guard, center and right guard — and all three players who made at least one start at right tackle. The group as a whole is coming off a season in which it blocked for 2,908 yards rushing, the second-highest total in Tennessee history and the highest since the 1951 national championship team rushed for 3,068."