UT hybrid

KNOXVILLE -- Several college football coaches, including Georgia's Mark Richt, have suggested that Tennessee All-American Eric Berry was good enough to play multiple positions.

That's exactly what he does.

Gone, at least temporarily, are the days when Berry sat in center field and flirted to pick off at least one pass every game.

UT's new coaching staff has created a more versatile role for the team's junior star. And teammates have at least two names for the captain's new position: "Bafety" and "Sacker."

Both titles are combinations of his two positions, safety and linebacker. The Volunteers seem to line up in a modified 4-4 base several times per game, with Berry mixed in somewhere on the second level.

"I am pretty much like another linebacker," Berry said Tuesday morning.

Not that he's complaining, despite still sitting where he started this season at 14 yards behind former Florida State star Terrell Buckley on the NCAA's all-time interception-return list.

Berry's only interception this season -- a sensational dive to snare a Tim Tebow pass at Florida -- didn't net him any return yards.

"Right now, we're making plays on defense," Berry said. "I feel like if I'm in the box making tackles or getting the quarterback to throw away from me, that's enough for me to do.

"Anything that I can do to help this team, that's what I'm going to do."

Berry leads the Vols with 45 tackles, and he's second with 4.5 stops for loss. He has an interception, three defended passes and two breakups despite being largely avoided downfield.

"I don't know of any other word to describe him other than spectacular," Richt said. "He's the leading tackler on their team. He hits as hard as any linebacker and is as sure of a tackler of any player we've faced this year. He's as fast as any receiver and has the ball skills to where he probably could have played tailback or receiver or linebacker or what he's playing now. He absolutely could play corner and could return punts and kicks if they wanted him to.

"He's a super player."

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin said the defense was in many ways designed around Berry's versatility.

"We're using him a ton of different ways," Kiffin said. "As you see him moving all around, it's harder to take him away. It's harder to know where he is. You can put him back there (roaming free), and maybe he's going to make some interceptions back there. But if I'm on offense, and I know where he's at, the ball's not going to go over there. He's in so many different areas that it's hard to stay away from him.

"And you've got to stop the run. If you put him back there, we wouldn't be playing near as good a run defense as we've played this year. We just feel, and I've always just felt, and it's a philosophy of our staff, that we've got to be able to run the ball, and we've got to be able to stop the run, especially as you're first starting a program."

Time for Teague

Kiffin said he expected freshman receiver Marsalis Teague to play a more prominent role this week after being limited the past two games with a dislocated finger and sore back.

Teague led the Vols with six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown in the season-opening victory over Western Kentucky but has just one catch for 9 yards since that dazzling debut.

"I'd look for Marsalis to have a big week this week," Kiffin said. "He struggled all (last) week to practice, trying to practice through it. He's a very tough kid. It was obvious he was not 100 percent, and that had a lot to do with him not playing very much."

Richard impatient

Kiffin said before Tuesday's practice that he'd hoped to get senior left guard Vladimir Richard (Achilles' tendon, knee) on the field, but Richard stuck to side work for a second consecutive day. His status for Saturday is still questionable after he's missed the past two games.

Richard hasn't been allowed to speak with reporters since leaving the lineup -- in accordance with UT's traditional policy -- but he's repeatedly expressed frustration while watching practice from the sideline.

"This is killing me, man. Just killing me," he said last week.

Shotgun start?

Kiffin said he noticed some improvements with Jonathan Crompton when the senior quarterback operated out of the shotgun, but the coach wasn't ready to make that UT's primary formation.

"Once again, you can go to that and all of a sudden you've got this great defensive line rushing you, knowing that your run game's limited in the shotgun," Kiffin said. "There's always good things to it, and there's things that get you out of rhythm as far as being a run offense; because now, all of a sudden, your fullback's off the field, and you don't have as many runs to go to."

Another contact for Wes Rucker is www.facebook.com/tfpvolsbeat.