UT Vols' Josh Smith to sit out practice this week

photo Josh Smith hauls in a pass as Arkansas State's Chris Humes approaches in this file photo.

KNOXVILLE - Tennessee lost two quarterbacks to similar thumb injuries during the 2013 season.

Though 2014 is only three games old, the Volunteers already have had two wide receivers suffer high-ankle sprains.

Sophomore Josh Smith watched Tennessee's practice Tuesday while on crutches and in a protective walking boot after leaving the loss at Oklahoma on Saturday, just a week after Von Pearson suffered a sprain against Arkansas State.

Vols coach Butch Jones said Smith won't practice this week during Tennessee's open date.

"We'll reassess how he goes throughout the course of next week," Jones said. "It's day by day. There isn't a time frame on it. He could be ready for Georgia, but we'll wait and see. We're going to keep him off his ankle next week, really do extensive rehabilitation, and we'll see. The body reacts differently on each individual."

Smith caught a career-high five passes for 58 yards and a touchdown against the Sooners before leaving the game in pain early in the fourth quarter.

"He was coming along great," receivers coach Zach Azzanni said. "He was night and day from last year. He's becoming a route-runner, a playmaker. He's tough. He's everything I want in a wideout, to be honest with you, so hopefully we'll get him back here whatever his status might be."

It's unclear how likely Smith and Pearson are to play against the Bulldogs, which means Tennessee could go into its SEC opener without its top two complements to Marquez North.

"Jason [Croom's] coming along, Josh Malone's coming along and Johnathon Johnson's a very good player," Azzanni said, "so there's still options there. It didn't feel like that last year. It didn't feel like there was some guys ready to take the heat off him. Pig [Howard] is doing a great job, so there's still options out there if those guys aren't able to go.

"Hopefully they will be, and we'll see, but there's other people to go out and make plays now."

Tight situation

Tennessee practiced Tuesday also without its top two tight ends, but Jones expects freshmen Ethan Wolf (knee) and Daniel Helm (ankle) to be ready for Georgia.

Wolf, who traveled with the team and went through pregame warmups before sitting out the Oklahoma loss, again wore a knee brace Tuesday. Helm, who started against the Sooners, sat out practice.

"Those reps were invaluable for him," Jones said. "That was a great experience for him. I thought he handled the situation very well. Daniel's a very competitive young man who prides himself on his performance.

"Him sitting out the first couple of practices of the bye week is unfortunate, because he's one of those individuals who needs every single repetition he can gain."

Saulsberry, Scott back

Defensive tackle Trevarris Saulsberry (knee) and freshman tailback Derrell Scott (foot) did their most extensive work in practice since suffering injuries while pushing for rotation spots during the preseason last month.

Since the 6-foot-4, 296-pound Saulsberry crumpled to the Neyland Stadium turf during an open practice two weeks prior to the season opener, the Vols have relied primarily on a tackle trio of Danny O'Brien, Jordan Williams and junior college transfer Owen Williams.

"It's great to get him out there," defensive line coach Steve Stripling said. "He's had a great attitude, so we're looking forward to seeing exactly where he's at this week and getting him back in the rotation."

Saulsberry came on at the start of last season before suffering a knee injury at Oregon that kept him out of all but one game in 2013, and the redshirt junior sat out spring practice after undergoing shoulder surgery.

"It'll be interesting to see what he can actually do," defensive coordinator John Jancek said. "He was out there doing some things in some drill work. We'll see what happens."

Scott was pushing to be Tennessee's third back behind fellow freshman Jalen Hurd and senior Marlin Lane last month.

Said Jones: "Now we've got to shake the rust off a little bit."

Tennessee tidbits

Despite making some poor decisions to bring kickoffs out of the end zone and nearly losing a fumble, senior Devrin Young "is our kick returner," Jones declared. ... Matt Darr averaged less than 35 yards on his eight punts against the Sooners, and Jones said he and the senior had a "long talk" about his performance this week. "Obviously he was disappointed," Jones said. "He's worked exceptionally hard, and you see it in practice. Like I told him: 'You just need to relax.' Take the practice field to the game field, and he can do it. He's very capable, and we believe in him." ... Coach Dave Serrano and his Tennessee baseball team stopped by to watch Tuesday's practice.

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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