College football: Vols' Karl returns in scrimmage
KNOXVILLE - Tennessee starting senior linebacker Ryan Karl was back in pads Tuesday for the squad's final scrimmage of the preseason.
After suffering a back injury during the summer, Karl was limited to non-contact drills and watching his team from the sideline, but he returned Tuesday to the first-team defense.
"It felt good," Karl said. "I didn't want to hesitate at all. I just wanted to go out and play full speed and play my game. The back held up fine, and I'm just thankful to be back." From the sidelines and in drills, Karl noticed that team speed may be one of the Volunteers' strongest assets.
"We're not all that big, but some teams are going to be real surprised by that," he said.
The Tennessee defense held firm throughout the scrimmage, allowing only an Arian Foster rushing touchdown and a passing score by third-string quarterback Nick Stephens. The first-team defense stacked up primarily against the second-team offense, yielding little offensive production.
Coach Phillip Fulmer said the second-team offense is the main focus now as the starting 11 is penciled in for the Sept. 1 opener at California.
"We've had a good camp," Fulmer said. "We found a lot of guys that could help us with the second team, and that's what a lot of today was about - to give other guys game-like experience to make sure we weren't missing anybody."
Fumbles and dropped passes were a problem throughout the scrimmage.
Senior quarterback Erik Ainge, who was 8-of-13 for 72 yards, said fumbling is "definitely a concern, but it's definitely fixable."
Senior tight end Brad Cottam left the scrimmage Tuesday to have X-rays taken of his injured left wrist.
See More
at www.jacksonsun.com
|
