KNOXVILLE - Butch Jones isn't letting his Tennessee football team slow down as the Volunteers enter the final two weeks of spring practice.
The fourth-year coach made Tuesday's session all about competition, with plenty of contact and one-on-one drills early in practice.
The list of absentees may be already long and still growing, but the Vols aren't tapping the brakes.
Promising sophomore Austin Smith's spring is over. The defensive end will miss the final five practices after suffering a shoulder injury last week."We have five opportunities left, and we have to get the most out of these opportunities," Jones said after practice. "It's all about composure, too, in competitive situations. We're searching for those 25 points, which we talk about, but it's making clutch plays and being clutch players."
Jones said he spoke to the team before practice about Monday night's NCAA tournament final, won by Villanova on a Kris Jenkins 3-pointer at the buzzer.
"One shot changed his life," Jones said. "He'll live forever as a legend now, and it's having that composure in those critical moments. The only way you can really manufacture that is to be in the competitive situation."
During run-blocking drills, the tight ends dominated the linebackers, with Jason Croom and Jakob Johnson earning emphatic wins against Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Quart'e Sapp, respectively.
Jack Jones was a standout among the offensive linemen during that drill, though Venzell Boulware and Charles Mosley each won reps.
Kahlil McKenzie continues to be unblockable at times, and he powered through Jack Jones on a pass-rushing drill after Boulware and Drew Richmond stymied Danny O'Brien and Dimarya Mixon.
As for the skill players, Emmanuel Moseley broke up an end-zone fade intended for Jauan Jennings, Micah Abernathy forced Josh Smith to come down out of bounds on a catch and Jeff George dropped a would-be score - Josh Dobbs put it right in his hands - against Marquill Osborne as the defense won those three reps.
"Today's practice went down to the third-down drill, and that's what you want," Coach Jones said. "We'll go back and we'll revisit who were the clutch players, what were the clutch plays and them understanding that every rep counts. Every rep is for a point, even in the middle of practice.
"Sometimes a football game can come down to four or six plays that make the difference in winning and losing. You don't know when those four or six plays (happen). Everyone remembers the fourth quarter and everyone remembers the final possession, but it may be a play that happened in the first possession of the game that is one of those critical plays."
Smith's spring over
Promising sophomore Austin Smith's spring is over. The defensive end will miss the final five practices after suffering a shoulder injury last week.
The converted linebacker had made some noise this spring, particularly as a pass rusher.
"It's tough when you don't get to be out there and when you're in a transition period like that," McKenzie said. "He's fast and athletic, and he loves football. Everybody loves him. It's tough for him to try and learn defensive line, but he's out here working every day, just like the rest of us. He'll get it eventually."
Coach Jones said Smith is expected to return in June.
"He has to do a great job with the mental game and getting in and spending some time with the older players, doing a lot of video study," the coach added. "It's unfortunate, but he has to make the most of it. I really believe you can still get better when it comes to those things if you do the proper study and take the proper mental reps."
Cornerback Justin Martin has missed two straight practices with the flu, and offensive lineman Austin Sanders, a former Bradley Central star, is dealing with a sprained ankle suffered in Saturday's scrimmage.
Moseley and defensive end Darrell Taylor were in noncontact jerseys Tuesday after missing Saturday's scrimmage.
SEC's best?
Tennessee may finish the spring down a total of seven defensive linemen, but that position group still has high hopes of being one of the SEC's best in 2016 with the return of Derek Barnett, McKenzie and others.
"That's what we're working to be, is the best," McKenzie said. "You don't play football, you don't play a sport - I don't think you should do anything to not try and be the best at it. We're out here working every day to be the best.
"I think if you watch any individual drill or any team drill, how each position group gets on each other and grades each other in the meeting rooms, it's demanding perfection out of each other, because every group wants to be the best and every person wants to be the best. We just try to bring that out in each person."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.