KNOXVILLE - There's no shortage of favorite phrases for Tennessee's football program, but one particular three-word expression is getting plenty of early-season work.
Playing most of the first four games without three of its best defenders will have such an effect.
Without key players Cameron Sutton, Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, the 11th-ranked Volunteers have been forced to rely on the likes of Baylen Buchanan, Colton Jumper and Cortez McDowell more than anyone expected going into the season, and those players have delivered when pressed into action heading into today's game at No. 25 Georgia.
"They believe in one another," defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said Wednesday. "They come to practice every day. They prepare as hard as anybody. I got a text from Colton at 6 o'clock this morning asking about a Georgia formation. These guys are preparing hard.
"They're a part of our team and a part of our family, and it's a next-man-up mentality. Whether it's been Baylen Buchanan, whether it's been Colton, whether it's been Cortez or whether it's been whoever - you name it - those guys have really done a good job and will have to continue to do a good job, because it certainly doesn't get any easier as we head into October."
The second leg of the Vols' brutal four-game SEC gauntlet takes them to Athens ahead of games at Texas A&M and against Alabama, and playing such a difficult stretch without their defensive stars was an unnerving thought for the Vols. The absence of three all-conference-caliber players is less than ideal for the Vols, and many defenses would struggle to overcome losing those players.
"I didn't really know what to expect," safety Todd Kelly Jr. said. "We always knew it's all about that next-man-up mentality. Specifically me, as an individual my freshman and sophomore years, I didn't know how many times I was going to get in the game or how many plays I was going to play.
"I kind of told the younger guys to expect the unexpected and when your name is called to be ready and focused and locked in throughout the week of practice and preparation."
So far Tennessee's defense goes as its defensive line goes regardless of who's missing at linebacker or in the secondary.
The best stretches the Vols played through four games were spearheaded by the defensive front taking control of the line of scrimmage. It happened in the second through fourth quarters against Virginia Tech and in the second half last week against Florida. When the line is playing well, Tennessee is having its most defensive success.
"I think they do (understand)," defensive line coach Steve Stripling said. "From early in camp, we talked about being a defensive-line-led team. Up front we have the experience and the number of bodies and those type things. It was good to see it come into play last week and see we could have that effect on a game. We look forward to that challenge every week now."
The injury replacements are answering the challenge on a weekly basis.
When Reeves-Maybin was ejected against Appalachian State, McDowell had nine tackles, and he made six last week when Reeves-Maybin took himself out of the game. Jumper has 15 tackles in two games and broke up a potential touchdown pass against Florida. Buchanan has held his own despite opponents trying to pick on the freshman.
Shoop always was confident in the depth of his defensive line, but the players stepping up at linebacker and in the secondary have impressed him.
"Everybody knows the relationship Jalen Reeves-Maybin and I have had for a long time," he said, "and, heck, I haven't even gotten to see him play hardly at all. Then for Quart'e (Sapp) to go down, it's really Colton and Cortez playing linebacker.
"Gavin Bryant got in the (Florida) game and got a pressure on the quarterback. Dillon Bates recovered a fumble. Those are great opportunities for those guys. The secondary's where it's been tested a little bit, because we've had some different injuries and different reasons players weren't able to play.
"Guys have taken that next-man-up mentality. In the meeting rooms or on the practice field there really hasn't been a woe-is-me mindset. It's the next guy up, do your job. When you put on that orange helmet with a Power T, I tell the guys you become a superhero, and if you lay it on the line for one another, you just can't be beat."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com