Tennessee defensive tackle Kendal Vickers (right) and offensive lineman Thomas Edwards battle in a drill during spring practice on April 15, 2015, at Haslam Field in Knoxville.KNOXVILLE -- Toiling away in the trenches every down doesn't translate into much publicity for Kendal Vickers.
The Tennessee defensive tackle is held in pretty high esteem by his position coach, though.
"I think Vick is probably the toughest guy on the football team," defensive line coach Steve Stripling said after the Volunteers practiced on Tuesday evening.
"I promise you. He doesn't say boo, takes on double teams all day, never misses a practice, never misses a rep. I know he's banged up at times, but he's a true warrior."
The 6-foot-3, 286-pound Vickers is in his first season as a starter for Tennessee, and he's battled through some bumps and bruises in recent games against Georgia and Kentucky.
The redshirt sophomore led the Vols in snaps against Alabama (52) and Kentucky (40).
"He's a quiet warrior," Stripling said. "You don't get his name a lot over the loudspeaker and those kind of things. But he's just what you want, man. He's a grinder and a tough kid."
LEXINGTON, KY - OCTOBER 31, 2015 - Defensive back Emmanuel Moseley #12 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Tennessee Volunteers at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, KY. Photo By Craig Bisacre/Tennessee AthleticsThird down for what
Tennessee held Kentucky to just 2-of-13 on third down in last week's win, and the Vols, despite their issues on fourth down, are second in the SEC and seventh nationally in third-down defense.
Defensive coordinator John Jancek preferred not to talk about his unit's success on third down.
"I don't know, I just keep my mouth shut and keep coaching," he said. "Guys are playing really well and executing. This group has just continued to get better. That's all I can say. I'm not going to jinx us right now.
"We're just going to keep working, not look ahead, get ready for South Carolina and hopefully continue to be successful on third down against them."
From left, Tennessee defensive backs Todd Kelly Jr. and Micah Abernathy and linebacker Cortez McDowell line up during special teams work at practice last month. Kelly was hospitalized most of last week but managed to play in the Volunteers' season-opening win over Bowling Green in Nashville.Active Abernathy
Freshman Micah Abernathy came into the Kentucky game midway through the third quarter at the nickel cornerback position, and head coach Butch Jones suggested on Monday he could push starter Malik Foreman for playing time this week.
"It's been good. It's been good," Jancek said of the competition between Abernathy and Foreman. "Ab got in there on Saturday and made a couple of plays. It's a competitive situation, which is really what we want as coaches."
The 6-foot, 193-pounder from Atlanta showed up near the ball a couple of times and made a nice play early in the fourth quarter to keep the Kentucky receiver short of a first down on a fourth down following a Tennessee turnover.
Jancek said he's noticed more aggressiveness from the freshman.
"He's showing that he really is comfortable doing his job on each and every single play," he added. "Not that he's been bad, but you know when you watch film and a guy's kind of like, 'Ah, OK.' You just can't be a step slow at that position.
"To Micah's credit, he's really put the time in, he's watched extra film and he's going to be ready to give us some quality reps. I'm certain of that."
The other Abernathy
Tennessee's depleted receiving corps included a new player on Tuesday.
Tennessee's Von Pearson with receivers coach Zach Azzanni during 2014 spring practice.Running back Ralph David Abernathy IV practiced with the receivers. The graduate transfer from Cincinnati missed a few games due to an ankle injury and has played in just two games. The 5-foot-6, 185-pounder caught 56 passes in 43 games in four seasons with the Bearcats.
"Ralph's a very versatile guy," receivers coach Zach Azzanni said. "He knows all the stuff at running back, and we're down on numbers at wideout. We're always teaching everyone all the positions.
"You've got to have a plan. You can't just go out there and, 'Oh, I've got two guys hurt, what am I going to do?' You can't call timeout. You've got to be able to go plug some people in. Those are all just contingency plans in case things happen. We always work different guys, especially with our numbers being down."
The Vols have been down to five receivers in the past couple of games due to injuries to Preston Williams (hamstring) and Marquez North (back).
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.