vols begin contact while dodging the heat

Tennessee stretched its third day on the practice field to three hours once again, keeping a lively pace despite the late afternoon heat.
Though not yet in full gear, the Vols added shoulder pads and were able to mix it up more frequently Monday than during the weekend sessions.
“Our guys have had a good attitude and it’s good to get a little bit of contact, even though we still are just in shorts and shoulder pads,” head coach Phillip Fulmer said. “To get out there and have a little bit was good.
“We’re not in full pads and can’t scrimmage or do everything, but we’re headed in that direction.”
One day remains in the NCAA’s mandated acclimation period to begin fall camp, a schedule Fulmer has very much come to appreciate.
“I think it’s a good rule,” he said. “It allows the guys to ease into it without the pads. It’s strictly a safety thing and they did a long, serious study about the heat-related things that can happen this time of year. We took one long break today and, obviously, the evening is a lot cooler.”
Fulmer says his squad is right on target for the Week 1 schedule.
“They’ve tried really hard to respond to what has been asked. You can see the leadership growing as we go along, although we’ve still got work to do in a lot of places.”