New-look Vols' secondary will have to be 'sharp' in opener

KNOXVILLE -- Tennessee's secondary knows it must be sharp from the start with a pass-happy offense on tap for Saturday's season opener.

Injuries to two starters have thrown a wrench in those preparations the past couple of weeks.

Tennessee's Evan Berry stiff-arms Missouri's Andrew Baggett during the Vols' football game against the Missouri Tigers on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.

The depth in Tennessee's defensive backfield is being tested before the start of the season, and the new-look group will get a quick test in pass-happy Bowling Green in Saturday's 4 p.m. game in Nashville.

"You have to be sharp, especially with the fast pace they go," cornerback Emmanuel Moseley said following Tuesday's practice. "You've just got to be ready. You've got to trust your training."

The Vols have had to move quickly to find replacements for injured nickel cornerback Rashaan Gaulden and safety LaDarrell McNeil, and it looks like Malik Foreman and either Todd Kelly Jr. or Evan Berry will join Moseley, cornerback Cameron Sutton and safety Brian Randolph in the starting lineup.

Newcomers Justin Martin, Micah Abernathy and Darrell Miller and walk-on Max Arnold also could play some Saturday, when the forecasted high is 95 degrees in Nashville. The Falcons averaged nearly 80 plays per game in 2014.

With the injuries shortening Tennessee's secondary depth, defensive coordinator John Jancek declined to reveal whether he had installed a dime package that would put six defensive backs on the field. There's been enough of a focus on trying to get two new starters ready.

"We're trying to get the best guys out on the field, and certainly we've got a lot of guys banged up," Jancek said. "But that's to be said for our sport. We just have to try to find a way to try to get it done.

"We've had some adversity with injuries, but nobody's feeling sorry for themselves. The coaches are focused on sticking to the plan. This is going to be a group that's going to be a lot of fun as we work through the entire season together."

Tennessee viewed the sophomore Gaulden as the perfect fit for his position and a potential breakout star this season, and McNeil bounced back from a rough 2013 season to become a dependable safety last season and entered the 2015 campaign with the second-most starts (30) on the roster, trailing only running mate Randolph.

"That was probably one of the hardest things I've had to do in my career," Randolph said Monday of McNeil's season likely ending due to a neck injury. "He's a great guy on and off the field. It's an extreme loss. He's a very selfless player. That's why you don't hear a lot about him.

"I even thought about changing my number for him, I respect him so much. I've never played a season with No. 37, so it was a big deal for me when I decided to wear No. 33, but him being the selfless person he is, he told me not to and just keep No. 37 because he knows what he means to me.

"I really respect LaDarrell for that and all the things he did for me when I played with him these last four years."

Foreman will make his first start Saturday in a new position.

"He's embraced it a lot," Sutton said Monday. "When he first got here he started out there a lot, and he's been at corner a lot and bouncing back and forth. The big thing for him is he's played that position before, so it really wasn't a big difference or big change for him moving to that nickel role.

"He's embraced that role, he understands that role, he knows how to play that role and I'm excited to see what he's going to do on Saturday."

Kelly and Berry, two sophomore legacy players, got increased reps during spring practice and excelled, though both players have missed a couple of practices this preseason.

"I think those guys both have confidence," Jancek said. "I think they're both really smart. They know the package; they know the system; they know what the game plan is. We'll let them get out there and compete, and I'm pretty sure they'll do a good job for us."

The secondary was one of Tennessee's deepest and most competitive positions, and the Vols will have to rely on it right away in 2015.

"We're able to adjust guys and correct guys and put them in different situations that they might not have been before, but they understand that role or having knowledge of that role," Sutton said.

"We have guys like Rashaan going down, we're able to put Malik in there. We have guys like LaDarrell going down, we're able to bring T.K. and Evan and the rest of those guys at safety in. It's an opportunity.

"They've been getting the reps throughout fall camp and spring. They understand the position and their assignments and what they're supposed to do. Our job is to go out there and make it happen."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.