KNOXVILLE - The McCallie/Baylor high school football rivalry came up briefly after Tennessee's practice Tuesday night.
With the Volunteers devoting a portion of their eighth preseason workout to defending the triple option used by season-opening opponent Georgia Tech, senior linebacker Colton Jumper was asked about his familiarity with the offensive scheme.
Jumper, who played for Baylor, had to think for a moment about a time in high school when he played against the unique style of offense.
"My rival played a little bit of it, but that's probably the only team I've ever faced it," he said. "So this is the first time in years I've faced it."
Jumper was asked to clarify which rival.
"McCallie ran a similar offense," Jumper said before he shared one more detail from the game. "And we won, if that's any indication."
Tennessee's coaching staff has mixed in bits of triple-option preparation since the spring in preparation for the Sept. 4 matchup with the Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The run-heavy, possession offense uses cut blocking, fullbacks, pitches and quarterback keepers to menace opposing defenses.
"It's almost invaluable to get that stuff, because it's something completely different than what you see every single week," Jumper said. "We've done a good job of sprinkling it in throughout camp. It's been really good. Today was another good work day of Georgia Tech stuff."
Georgia Tech went 3-0 against SEC teams last season. Tennessee coach Butch Jones said it's a challenge to simulate the speed of the game that comes with the Yellow Jackets' offensive style.
"They're a very explosive offense that cause you mismatches and matchup problems," Jones said.
Newbie Palmer shines
Freshman wide receiver Josh Palmer continues to challenge for early playing time. The Canadian, who played high school football at powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is showing "consistency with everything," according to Jones.
"He's going to be an individual that's going to play a lot of football for us this year," Jones said.
Jones' praise of Palmer came as he addressed the status of redshirt senior receiver Josh Smith. Jones said Smith, who did not practice Tuesday, is expected to return soon.
Freshman trio 'important'
Freshman running backs Ty Chandler, Timothy Jordan and Trey Coleman have impressed the staff in practice as the coaches seek depth behind junior starter John Kelly.
"All three are going to have to play, and they're going to be important to the success of our season," Jones said. "I see them getting better and better and better, and not just in terms of running the football but in pass protection and also playing out on the perimeter as well."
Sapp not ready yet
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Quart'e Sapp is "still very limited," according to Jones. Sapp, who missed nearly all of last year due to injury, is a candidate for playing time at the outside linebacker position, but it appears that senior Cortez McDowell remains the front-runner for playing time there.
"I think Cortez has had a very good and strong training camp," Jones said. "Obviously, we have some individuals that can play a number of positions. We like what Elliott Berry is doing at the (outside) linebacker as well. We have individuals there that have really played a lot of football. Dillon Bates is doing some good things, and they're being pushed by some youngsters as well."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.