Tennessee still looking to put offense together

By

Posted 1:15PM on Thursday, October 24, 2002

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The biggest problem with having a good receiver like Tennessee's Kelley Washington is that everyone knows who he is. Defenders like to swarm him and make it hard for quarterbacks to throw to him. The No. 16 Volunteers (4-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) aren't surprised, but they had hoped the concentration on Washington would allow other offensive players to excel. Instead, the running game has sputtered and other receivers have been inconsistent. With the return of tailback Cedric Houston and quarterback Casey Clausen from injuries, Tennessee needs all the pieces to come together Saturday when No. 19 Alabama (5-2, 2 (1)- visits. Tennessee, which was idle last week, hopes the 18-13 loss at Georgia on Oct. 12 was just an aberration for the offense. With Clausen out because of a sore shoulder, the quarterback job fell to junior C.J. Leak and then freshman James Banks, who did more running than throwing. As a result, Washington had three catches for 32 yards while tight end Jason Witten's only catch was for a five-yard touchdown. Coach Phillip Fulmer is still intent on making the offensive line the strongest part of the offense, and he saw some improvement there. "We don't want to go through a game and get the ball twice to Kelley and once to Jason. That's not us," Fulmer said. "I think we took a step in the right direction from a physical standpoint, not that we're nearly where we want to be." Several problems have contributed to the lackluster offense. Three players got hurt in preseason scrimmages, including Washington, who missed the first two games because of a sprained right knee. To adjust, the Vols worked more on developing the younger receivers than the tailbacks, and scaled back the intensity of practice to prevent more injuries, offensive coordinator Randy Sanders said. Washington returned for the Florida game, but then Houston suffered a thigh bruise and tore a ligament in his left thumb. Three offensive linemen were in and out of games with injuries. In the past, Tennessee was able to switch to the run when the passing game stalled, or put the ball in the air if the opposite happened. For instance, Florida kept Washington and Donte Stallworth away from the ball most of last year's game. That left tailback Travis Stephens to run for 226 yards and two touchdowns as the Vols won 34-32. That has not happened this year. "If a team wants to put two on Kelley and take him away, we should be able to run the football and run it effectively," Sanders said. Washington leads the team with 23 catches for 443 yards in four games, an average of 110.8 yards a game and 19.3 yards per catch. He has scored only one touchdown. Washington says he could help the team if he got the ball more. He'd even like to take some snaps at quarterback. "They have a lot of weapons, and they'll figure it out. They're big-time coaches and have won before with a lot of talent around, and I expect them to use the talent like they did previously," Washington said this week. Fulmer said the Vols have gotten the ball to Washington as much as they have wanted. "In the games he's played in, he's gotten a good percentage of the balls - seven, eight or nine catches, Fulmer said. Clausen believes Tennessee just needs more receivers besides Washington and Witten to make plays. "We need a guy that can No. 1 get open and No. 2 just catch the ball," Clausen said. Knowing defenses were going to try to take Washington out of games, Sanders said the Vols came up with some counter plays such as ones used in the NFL to get Jerry Rice or Randy Moss open. So far, those plays haven't been used. "It's just a matter of when he can get out there and do enough for him to get good at them and for Casey to have the confidence that he's going to do what he's supposed to do," Sanders said. "I don't know if we'll be able to see them." Washington's practice time is back to normal now, though he continues to wear the green no-contact jersey like the quarterbacks, Fulmer said.