KNOXVILLE – Justin Hunter spoke no differently than usual — in a soft, relaxed voice with a smile on his face.
The injured Tennessee receiver’s attitude seemed unchanged despite the crutches on which he was leaning and the large brace covering most of his left leg.
“It’s real hard, just sitting on the sidelines and watching,” said the sophomore star who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee against Florida last month. “Sometimes I don’t even want to go to the games because I know if I can’t help them. It’s not my way to do it. I just try to lift them up as best I can and help them out.
“I try to find other things to do, just try to play the game. If I can’t play the game, I play the Xbox by myself sometimes just to try to get my stats up.”
Hunter has been around the team every day in meetings and occasionally during practice, and he’s a fixture on the sideline during games. He made the trip to Alabama two weeks ago, as the Volunteers coaches make concerted efforts to keep both Hunter and injured quarterback Tyler Bray as involved as possible while they’re out.