Aug. 31, 2010

Tennessee's Derek Dooley looked like one relieved head football coach after Tuesday's workout at Haslam Field.

Dooley and the Vols learned earlier in the day that freshman wide receiver Justin Hunter was approved by the NCAA Clearinghouse to return to practice and is eligible to play right away.

"It was a huge relief," Dooley said of the news. "There were a lot of nervous coaches. We were confident all along that he was going to be cleared; it was just a question of when."

Back on Aug 14, Hunter caught five passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in a Saturday night scrimmage to suddenly become one of the most talked about playmakers on offense. Within a week, however, the Virginia Beach, Va., native was forced to the sidelines as the NCAA studied his eligibility.

"We had no control over the situation," Dooley said. "That's always a lesson that you can't worry about things you can't control. So make the best of it. He was a little bit hurt in the foot, so we took it as an opportunity to triple the treatment. You saw the boot on him. You just find how you can turn this into a positive, and that's what he did. He handled it great."

Dooley said he expects the wideout to be ready to go by Saturday's kickoff against UT Martin. It's just a matter of how much the freshman lost during his two weeks out of action.

"Usually on your first day back you are a ball of energy," Dooley said. "Then all of a sudden, you realize, `Am I still in good shape?' I hope it won't be too big of a setback but we will see. He'll be ready for Saturday; I don't know how much."

DOOLEY EXPECTS SKYHAWKS' BEST SHOT
Saturday's 2010 season kickoff against UT Martin is Tennessee's first game against a member of the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA, since 1983. In fact, the Vols are the last remaining SEC member since conference expansion in 1992 to play an FCS member.

"They have very good coaching and they know how to win. They've won a conference championship and they've been to the NCAA playoffs in the last couple of years, so they are a well-coached football team. You see that.

"You see some really good players. (Linebacker) Josh Bey is a great example; we would love to have him here. And you see a lot of things schematically, because they are well-coached, that causes you a lot of problems on film."

The Skyhawks lost 37-20 at Auburn two years ago in a game that was tied midway through the third quarter.

"I'm guessing Auburn wasn't ready to play that day, and that's what can happen against a well-coached team if you are not ready."

UT BOOKSTORE HANDLING `TENNESSEE OFFICIAL TEAM SHOP'
The University of Tennessee Athletics Department and University of Tennessee Bookstore are pleased to announce a new joint partnership.

The UT Bookstore will handle all of the athletics game day merchandise and apparel sales for all events. The UT Bookstore also will be the operator for the Stokely Athletic store and Neyland Stadium store at Gate 20. The stores now are branded as the `Tennessee Official Team Shop.'

"We are excited to join forces with the University to handle merchandise sales at all of our athletic events and run our Neyland Stadium and Stokely stores," said Mike Hamilton, Men's Director of Athletics. "The stadium shop has been converted to an all adidas concept store and will be a great resource for our fans to get all the official products and game day gear from adidas."

On Wednesday at 6 p.m., all fans are welcome to join a grand opening celebration of the Tennessee Official Team Shop at Neyland Stadium. The first 100 fans through the store after the ribbon cutting ceremony receive a discount of 25 percent to 50 percent with the purchase of a single item. Members of the Spirit Team and Pride of the Southland Band will be in attendance.

"Vol Calls" will air live Wednesday night beginning at 8 p.m. from Gate 20 at Neyland Stadium, compliments of Texas Roadhouse. Vol Calls is the weekly call-in talk show featuring head coach Derek Dooley, who will be in attendance and fielding questions from fans throughout the Southeast and the rest of the country.

In its 22nd year, Vol Calls is the longest running sports talk program in Tennessee. Vol Calls is hosted by the Vol Network's Bob Kesling and Brent Hubbs.

Texas Roadhouse serves as the hosting site for Vol Calls each and every week. For this Neyland Stadium special edition, staff from the Texas Roadhouse will be on site at Gate 20 sampling their famous barbecue.