Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer didn’t see a particularly sharp team during Wednesday’s 90-minute workout at Haslam Field. Only one full practice date remains for UT before the 2008 season finale against Kentucky this Saturday night.

“Hopefully in the morning we will pick up the slack there,” said Fulmer, whose squad returns to practice on Thanksgiving. “Today wasn’t as sharp as I’d like for it to be offensively. I thought we have had two good days defensively.”

Defense hasn’t been the problem for Tennessee this season. The Vols rank sixth nationally in total defensive yards allowed and among the top 16 in all five major defensive categories.

Thursday also marks the day of the “Last Tackle,” a Tennessee tradition in which Fulmer uses the occasion to gather his seniors at one end of a double line of teammates and offer a few kind words about each individual. The players then take turns plowing into a tackling dummy one last time, to the cheers and salutes of their teammates.

“We’ve done it this way for quite some time,” Fulmer said of Thursday’s annual ritual.

TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR FULMER FAREWELL
Individual game tickets for Tennessee season football finale -- and the final game for head coach Phillip Fulmer -- remain available for purchase online at utsports.com, via phone at (800) 332-VOLS and at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Kickoff for UT-Kentucky is 6:45 p.m. from Neyland Stadium. Tickets for are $50 each plus shipping and handling.