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| Tennessee coach Derek Dooley, who underwent hip surgery this week, won't have the opportunity to argue with the refs when he coaches from the press box Saturday night at Mississippi State. (US Presswire) |
With Tennessee coach Derek Dooley in recovery after undergoing hip surgery on Tuesday afternoon, the assistant coaches led Wednesday's practice.
They said it was business as usual, despite Dooley's noticeable absence.
"We ran our stuff, we did what we had to do and everything went as well as it could," DC Sal Sunseri said. "Everybody wants coach Dooley out there, but because of the seriousness of that hip, he had to get it done. The kids were energetic, they were enthusiastic and they practiced like they were supposed to. They stayed to the standard of the practice."
That's the same attitude the assistants are taking as they prepare for Dooley to coach from the press box when the Vols play at No. 19 Mississippi State on Saturday. Dooley will still have the final say on game-management issues such as timeouts and challenges, but will have to relay his decisions to assistants on the field via headset.
"Coach has it totally managed. We've already talked about it as a staff," Sunseri said. "We have a plan."
Having the head coach literally looking over his shoulder in the press box will be a different experience for OC Jim Chaney.
"We will manage, we are grown-ups," Chaney said. "I am sure he will yell at me, I'll yell at him and we will get right through it and move on with the game. That is what happens. I won't yell at him as much, he's my boss -- you know how that goes."
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