Vols Martin now shining brightly

KNOXVILLE -- Ben Martin strolled in for a Wednesday afternoon interview wearing slippers.

He hadn't just woken up, either. The University of Tennessee junior defensive end typically wears those size 16 slippers to class.

"I have a big foot," the 6-foot-4 Martin said. "These are way better than gym shoes.

"Comfort is key."

The same could be said for on-field performance, and Martin is fresh off the heels of arguably his best career performance.

Martin started for fellow junior Gerald Williams at Florida and responded by pressuring Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow into an intentional grounding penalty on the first possession. Martin was credited with his second sack of the season on the play, which saw him line up at left end, stunt inside and wrestle Tebow to the ground as the quarterback fired the ball nowhere near any teammates.

"We had run this check all week long in practice, and right before the game, Coach (Monte) Kiffin told us about the check," Martin said. "When that formation came, we checked into a different play, and I just came free on the sack.

"Well ... close enough. It counts (as a sack)."

Martin finished with just two tackles against the Gators, but he broke free into the backfield several times and dropped back in a zone blitz to break up a pass to the sideline.

UT defensive line coach Ed Orgeron raved about Martin's pass-coverage skills, but Martin said the linebacker-looking play came fairly naturally to him.

"I saw Tebow looking away, and I thought he was trying to look me off," Martin said. "But my job was to get under the route, so I just kept dropping on the route and saw him throw the ball, so I just broke on it. Luckily I broke up the pass."

Martin's performance at Florida was a sight for all the sore eyes waiting for the former five-star recruit to turn his immense potential into production. When Martin disappointed early in preseason camp and lost his starting position to Williams -- and shared second-team snaps with redshirt freshman Willie Bohannon -- it seemed fair to wonder whether the talented Cincinnati native would ever find his way back to the first-team.

The 240-pound Martin said words of encouragement from several close friends and family members, as well as confidence in his ability, kept him from worrying over losing his spot to a fellow upperclassman.

"People just told me to keep doing the things that I'm doing, because it was going to work out," Martin said. "I wasn't too worried about playing time. I just knew that if I continued to play my best and play the way I knew how to play, that I would persevere, and things would work out for me.

"I just go out there and try to play hard every down, but whatever happens happens."

Coaches and teammates have been wowed by Martin's athleticism since his first few days on campus. Former Volunteers linebacker Ryan Karl said Martin's leaping ability made him look like "a dang volleyball player out there."

Martin probably would have been the first defensive end off the bench at the beginning of his true freshman season in 2007, but he was sidelined parts of the season with injuries and couldn't get back to 100 percent, finishing with just seven stops.

Last season wasn't much better, as Martin collected just 18 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.

"Ben's time was always going to come," said Martin's close friend, junior defensive end Chris Walker. "He's so talented and such a good player that you always knew he was going to go out there and make plays at some point."

That time might be now. It would behoove Big Ben to continue playing at a high level, because the secondary is probably UT's only deeper, more talented spot than defensive end.

"(Improvement) has come with me studying my playbook more," Martin said. "I'm just really into my playbook now, and studying other teams. I know what's coming, or I know what to expect faster, so when they do certain things, I'm not surprised them and can just play the game."

Defensive line coach Ed Orgeron said Martin "is really coming on" in recent weeks.

Martin sees a potential for more. Much more, in fact. He said he graded out in the 80s in Gainesville and won't be satisfied until he routinely ranks in the mid-90s.

"I think my confidence is pretty good right now, but I always want to do things better," he said. "I want to grade out better. I want to be more productive. I want to have more tackles and more sacks. I think I can be a lot more productive than the last game."

Other contacts for Wes Rucker are www.twitter.com/wesrucker and www.facebook.com/tfpvolsbeat.