KNOXVILLE - With defensive end Darrell Taylor suspended indefinitely and not expected to play in Tennessee's game against South Carolina on Saturday at Neyland Stadium, junior Kyle Phillips will get the start in Taylor's absence.
That's the easy part.
"Everybody's known that Kyle can play," senior linebacker Colton Jumper said Tuesday. "We know that he's a stud."
Where it will get tricky for defensive coordinator Bob Shoop and the Volunteers (3-2, 0-2 SEC) against the Gamecocks (4-2, 2-2) is if Phillips and fellow starter Jonathan Kongbo need breathers.
The depth chart Tennessee released this week listed freshmen Deandre Johnson and Matthew Butler as the backup defensive ends behind Phillips and Kongbo.
"What's the mother do with the little baby when she's teaching them to swim? Just throw 'em in, man," Shoop said Monday night with a smile while discussing Johnson's and Butler's readiness for an SEC East showdown.
Johnson played most of the fourth quarter in Tennessee's 42-7 win over Indiana State in the second week of the season but has hardly been on the field since. Butler has played even less, although he did make a tackle in the waning moments of the 41-0 loss to Georgia two Saturdays ago.
Through five games, Phillips served as an amply capable veteran backup to Kongbo and Taylor. He is trusted by his teammates and coaches. Now that backup role will be filled by one or both freshmen.
"Deandre has played," Shoop said. "He's been in the rotation throughout the course of the year, so I'm not too concerned about him. Matt, he's very diligent. He's a hard worker. Probably his best quality is also his worst quality. He's very, very hard on himself. Every mistake is the end of the world.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing him play. It'll be a great experience for him to play against a really good South Carolina team."
Shoop also revealed that the Vols may have a wild card to throw into the mix at the position. Austin Smith could be ready to make his season debut Saturday after missing the first five games due to injury. The 6-foot-3, 236-pound Smith was penciled in as a starting linebacker before his injury, but he spent last year at defensive end and Shoop is scheming to use his versatility.
"On passing downs, you may see some creativity," Shoop said. "Maybe put Austin Smith in there and do some things, put him as a fourth rusher or something along those lines."
In the SEC, only Texas A&M and Auburn have allowed more sacks than South Carolina, which has dealt with injuries along its offensive front. Tennessee's defense ranks seventh in the conference with 12 sacks, but just three of them have been generated by defensive ends.
Johnson and Butler may get chances to add to that total Saturday.
"We're going to need them," said Jumper, who leads the team with 4.5 sacks. "We're going to need them to be ready. I think they are. They're young guys, but when it comes down to it, they're going to have to do it - they're going to have to grow up really quick. They're going to get thrown into that fire."
Shoop used water as the analogy. Jumper used fire.
Their sentiments were the same.
"It's an opportunity now for Matt Butler and Deandre Johnson," Shoop said. "Two young players."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.