By JIM STEELE
pressbox1.com

As Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer sifted through the wreckage of yet another puzzling Tennessee setback, he wasn't happy with what he saw.

UCLA upset the then-No. 18 Volunteers 27-24 in overtime at Pasadena's Rose Bowl a week ago. The more he looked at film and thought about the game, the more he was glad it was in his rear-view mirror.

"We played with effort and our run defense was good," Fulmer said. "We have to try to put it behind us. That's the best we can do."

The coach said the Vols responded well at practice this week, but he expected that.

"We have a sense of urgency to get where we need to be," he said.

But Fulmer said something that was curious. He said the Vols need to be a team that "responds to coaching."

He expanded.

"Things like punting behind the shield, third down snaps, things like that," Fulmer said. "We'll respond in the right way and learn from the past. We don't like being in this situation, but this team has good leadership and abiity."

It wasn't all sewage for the Vols against UCLA. Fulmer said he saw some good things, too.

"There were good things on both sides of the ball; we had four interceptions, one for a score," Fulmer said. "For 50 minutes, I thought we played well. We stopped their run pretty well."

But Fulmer said the Vols' consistency needs to be better. He said it wasn't there 100 percent and as a result, UCLA pulled a stunner over Tennessee: "We need to find our personality and take out the mental mistakes."

Fulmer said the Vols need to move the pocket on offense to utilize the abilities of quarterback Jonathan Crompton, who struggled against UCLA with a 19-41 effort for 190 yards and an interception.

"Jon has the ability to throw the ball and moving he pocket gives him an opportunity," said Fulmer. "It helps with protection and puts pressure on the defense."

With the opener now in the books, the Vols look ahead to this coming Saturday's encounter with Alabama-Birmingham. The Blazers are off to an 0-2 start. Tulsa beat UAB 45-22 in the season opener on Aug. 30. Florida-Atlantic knocked off the Blazers 49-34 this past weekend. With the landscape of college football changing and the Appalachian States of the world challenging the big shots like Michigan, UAB looms pretty large on the Vols' horizon.

"With recruiting numbers like they are and all the open sets and good offenses, those can be great equalizers," Fulmer said. "Anyone you play in this day and age can be good."

Kickoff for the UAB-Tennessee game is 11:30 CDT at Neyland Stadium. The game will be broadcast regionally by Raycom Sports. The Tennessee-Florida gametime will be announced sometime Monday.