Tennessee head coach Butch Jones said that two of the team’s biggest playmakers – running back Alvin Kamara and cornerback Cam Sutton – will be game-time decisions when the Vols take on Kentucky this Saturday (noon ET, SEC Network),
Those two players were on the practice field Tuesday afternoon in the portions of the practice open to the media.
Sutton hasn’t played since suffering a fractured ankle in a Week 3 victory against Ohio. Kamara missed the South Carolina and Tennessee Tech games with a knee injury sustained in the Alabama game.
Both Kamara and Sutton are also important pieces in the return game, an area the Vols are also especially thin in going forward with Evan Berry going down against Tech with a knee injury.
“We just want to make sure they’re healthy and able to contribute,” Jones said when asked if Kamara and Sutton could be available on special teams.
Another position switch
Jones also confirmed that offensive guard Charles Mosley is getting some work at defensive tackle as the Vols look for any help they can get in the interior of the D-line.
“He understands the techniques that are involved with (the position),” Jones said, noting that Mosley went through a spring tackle at defensive tackle. “But right now we’re just fighting the law of attrition and we’re trying to find players that can help us hold up against the run.”
Tennessee is down to just two healthy scholarship defensive tackles – Kendal Vickers and Quay Picou. Kyle Phillips, who is normally a defensive end, started at defensive tackle against Tennessee Tech last week.
Other notes:
• Jones was non-committal about who will start at the safety spot opposite of Todd Kelly Jr. “We’ll see,” he said when asked if freshman Nigel Warrior will get his first start on Saturday.
• Jones also wouldn’t commit to the status of right tackle Chance Hall, who left the game early on Saturday, also saying he would have to see later in the week if the sophomore would be ready to go.
• Tennessee sits as a 13.5-point favorite over Kentucky as of Wednesday afternoon after the line opened at -15 for the Vols.
