KNOXVILLE - New coach Derek Dooley said his University of Tennessee football team went through a "typical" first day of preseason camp Wednesday at Haslam Field.
"A lot of excitement, a lot of enthusiasm, and then they get out here and reality sets in, and it's tough and it's hot," Dooley said. "We've got a lot of work to do to push through it mentally."
And, to be clear, they will be pushed.
Dooley had no sympathy for his Volunteers veterans, who practiced in mid-afternoon with the heat index above 105 degrees - "but it felt like 120," according to senior offensive guard Jarrod Shaw.
Younger players went through the same practice in more humane temperatures later in the evening.
"I don't really have any patience," Dooley said. "I told them I can be patient and nice and set you up for big disappointment, or we can do it right and demand you do it right every time. And when you don't do it right, we're going to confront you. That's our responsibility to them.
"I won't have any patience."
Dooley said "a lot of guys struggled" with the conditions, but he didn't take it easy on them.
"It's hot. So what?" the coach said. "I didn't think it was hot. Guys from Louisiana don't think it's hot, and I lived in Louisiana for eight years, and I felt great out here. It's hot in Athens, and it's hot in Tuscaloosa, and it's hot in Gainesville. So what? What are you going to do about it.?
"Other than a few mentally weak performances, we were fine. The good guys who are mentally tough had no issues with the heat."
Junior quarterback Matt Simms, who as expected took the first-team snaps Wednesday, called himself out for taking a few plays off early in practice.
"It was hot, but you've got to fight through that," Simms said. "It was tough at times, but as I got adjusted to the tempo and the speed of everything, it improved. But we've definitely got to keep improving from here.
"We came out here and worked, and we have something to build on. That's the biggest thing."
Sophomore Marsalis Teague started his move from wide receiver to cornerback by practicing Wednesday with the defense. Unaware of the switch until Monday, Teague said he "just tried as hard as (he) could" to keep pace."
Freshman Ted Meline, a Miami native who played wide receiver in spring practice, was also moved to defensive back in hopes of boosting depth.
"(Dooley) never really forced it upon me," Teague said. "He just threw the idea out there at me and told me to think about it and come back and let him know. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought I'd put my trust in my coach. I'm pretty sure he's going to do what's best for me and what's best for the team.
"It's my job to do what's best for the team, and I feel like this is for the best."
The Vols will stay split up today and Friday before gathering as one unit Saturday.
"I can only speak for the offensive line, but I felt like we just kept on pushing and kept on pushing and kept on telling ourselves, 'We're all right, we're all right,'" junior center Cody Pope said. "And sure enough, we just kept on getting better and kept on getting better. It was a good start."
Other contacts for Wes Rucker are www.twitter.com/wesrucker and www.facebook.com/tfpvolsbeat.