Tennessee wrapped up the Knoxville portion of its 2002 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl preparations Friday at the Neyland-Thompson Sports Center. The team worked for just more than an hour before beginning its five-day holiday break.
“I think this was one of the best bowl preparations we’ve had,” head coach Phillip Fulmer said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to carry over to Atlanta and play really well in the bowl game. It’s important for us to finish off the season in style and move ahead to next year on a positive note.”
Tennessee won four of its last five regular season games to improve to 8-4 during a third-place finish in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division. The Vols qualified for their 43rd bowl game and 14th consecutive, which is the fourth longest current streak in college football.
“This team has done what we’ve asked them to do,” Fulmer said. “The last part of the year, obviously, we finished well. We asked them to really focus on their Maryland preparation during these practices and as I said it’s been one of the best weeks we’ve had leading up to a bowl. Like this morning, it’s real easy to be distracted as everybody’s ready to go home for Christmas but we had good work.”
Fulmer added he hopes the team stays in shape during the five-day layoff and is ready to go in Atlanta. UT’s next practice is Dec. 26.
“That’s always a concern when you’re off for five days, conditioning, so I hope they’ll take care of that and we’ll start fresh when we get down there and hopefully finish up and play well.”
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl tickets are still selling
Ticket sales for Tennessee’s Dec. 31 appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl have passed the 18,750 mark and remain on sale through the Christmas holidays.
“We appreciate all the people who have purchased tickets and will be there to see us in Atlanta,” head coach Phillip Fulmer said. “We’ve sold most of our allotment and everybody will enjoy New Year’s Eve at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.”
Internet sales through the UTSports.com Web site continue through Dec. 29 and those tickets can be claimed Dec. 31 at the Georgia Dome between Gates A-D, beginning at 5 p.m. In-person sales still are available at the Thompson-Boling Arena ticket office, which opens Monday at 1 p.m. and stays open until halftime of that night’s men’s basketball game against Western Carolina. The next and final opportunity is Dec. 30 from 8:30 a.m. until halftime of the men’s game against UT-Martin.
Vols trio to miss Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl trip
Three Tennessee football players failed to meet Southeastern Conference academic requirements regarding bowl game eligibility and will miss the Vols’ Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl contest against Maryland. Head coach Phillip Fulmer named senior defensive back Willie Miles, freshman tailback Gerald Riggs and freshman tight end Aaron Kirkland ineligible, and said they would not make the trip to Atlanta.
“These young men will not be at the bowl game with us and that’s unfortunate,” Fulmer said. “We support the Southeastern Conference requirement, it’s a very good rule, and our players have to realize they are in college first and foremost for an education. We’ll manage without them.”
Six Vols slated for postseason All-Star competition
Six seniors that have accepted invitations to play in four bowl games will represent Tennessee football next month on the collegiate all-star game circuit.
Omari Hand will appear in the East-West Shrine Bowl, set for Jan. 11 in San Francisco; Julian Battle, Rashad Moore and Will Ofenheusle are slated to play in the Senior Bowl Jan. 18 in Mobile, Ala.; Keyon Whiteside was invited to the Gridiron Classic Jan. 25 in Orlando; and Eddie Moore will appear in the Hula Bowl Feb. 1 in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii.

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