Tennessee took the field Thursday afternoon on a windy day in Knoxville for their second of three practices this week. Seven sessions of individual and team drills were open for media viewing. Here are a few notes from the field plus video of the Vols in action.

Notes

*The biggest story from the field? Senior running back and expected starter Marlin Lane wasn’t there. Butch Jones said Lane had a test and had to meet with a professor this afternoon. Lane missed the majority of spring practice last year while dealing with a legal situation. With several strikes against him, he has little room for error.

*Jones opened practice with his “Tennessee Tough” drill. First up, Neiko Creamer and Justus Pickett faced off with Pickett winning the battle. Dimarya Mixon went next against newcomer Ray Raulerson. Mixon won and stayed on to face Kyler Kerbyson with Kerbyson barely besting him. Jones must have been trying to make a point to Mixon as he faced Marcus Jackson directly after Kerbyson took him to the ground. Jackson won easily. Jordan Williams and Dylan Wiesman faced off as well and Williams winning that matchup. Dontavius Blair and Corey Vereen battled twice, splitting their match ups.

*Blair has struggled at times this spring but looked to bounce back a bit today. Matt Darr is having a nice spring and is the clear leader to win the punting job. He was horribly inconsistent last year but has been much more consistent this spring.

*After Tennessee Tough, the team went through five receiver vs. defensive back drills from the 6-yard line. Riley Ferguson overthrew Josh Malone on the first rep, though Cam Sutton had good coverage on the play and Ferguson may have just been getting rid of it. Next up, Worley threw a great ball to Jason Croom who badly beat LaDarrell McNeil. Dobbs threw a nice ball to Marquez North but Emmanuel Moseley, who was beaten off the line, recovered to knock the ball away from North. Peterman targeted Pearson who was battling Malik Foreman for position. The refs flagged Foreman for interference. In addition, Ferguson hit Alex Ellis on an out route at the goal line for a score. You can see video of all those plays below.

*Tennessee also ran through some offensive line on defensive line drills from the 8-yard line. The offensive line scored on the first play. The next series, Hurd got stuffed at the goal line.

*Quarterbacks Worley and Dobbs struggled to hit short out routes several times. Tennessee still needs more consistency from the quarterback position. Worley has been the most efficient QB this spring but hasn’t improved drastically from last year. In the open portions of practice, Ferguson had the best day.

*Jones said they’re thinking about moving sophomore defensive tackle Jason Carr, who is listed at 6-5, 292 pounds, to offensive tackle. He hasn’t been effective at defensive tackle and the Vols need more depth and competition at offensive tackle. Jones said he plans to make a decision about Carr in the coming days.

Quotes

“I need a safety and a tight end. Whoever wants to play football today.”—Jones

“Give me another soft group of white guys.”—Jones during a defensive line vs. offensive line drill

Video