vols berry and lincoln earn honors for season

Freshmen Eric Berry and Daniel Lincoln received another round of acclaim Wednesday with release of the 2007 Sporting News SEC All-Freshman Team.

Berry was named the league’s defensive freshman of the year and Lincoln claimed top placekicking honors. On Tuesday, Berry was named as a defensive back on the Rivals.com All-Freshman national first team, while Lincoln earned the second-team placekicking selection.

Lincoln is inking his name all over the UT field goal charts. The Ocala, Fla., product is 21-of-26 this year on field goal tries, 47-of-48 on PATs and has scored more points (110) in a season than any Vol not named Gene McEver (130) or Reggie Cobb (120). Game-winning kicks against South Carolina and Vanderbilt highlight Lincoln’s perfect 10-of-10 performance on second-half field goals. Lincoln has been the league’s best combination of production and accuracy, ranking 12th nationally in FGs per game and second in the league in field-goal percentage.

Berry, meanwhile, has four interceptions that have produced a school-record 207 return yards. That figure broke a 37-year-old UT mark and already ranks third in the SEC history books. He leads all SEC freshmen in total hits with 76 after his 14-tackle effort at Kentucky, and twice earned SEC Freshman of the Week for his play over the regular season’s final three games. A Fairburn, Ga., product, Berry stands fourth among league interception leaders and third nationally among freshmen.

Vols see challenge, opportunity in SEC Title Game

Tennessee continued preparations for Saturday’s SEC Championship Game in the Georgia Dome with a 90-minute practice session at Haslam Field on Wednesday. The Vols meet LSU in a 4 p.m. Eastern time kickoff (CBS, Vol Network).

“I’m really happy with our practices we’ve had,” Fulmer said. “Certainly our team understands the challenge that’s out there. We have to play well in all phases of the game, but we’ve had good energy on the practice field. We’ve gotten a great start on our plan, will tighten those things up Thursday and be ready to play.

“It’s a really exciting time for us.”

The Tigers, 10-2, are vying for their third SEC championship this decade and Saturday’s appearance is the program’s fifth since 2001. Tennessee, 9-3, is playing for its 14th overall conference title and is in the SEC Championship Game for the fifth time since 1997, having won twice.

Jones earns CAREacter State Athlete Award
Freshman Gerald Jones is UT’s football representative for CAREacter Star Athlete of the Week. Jones played a huge role in Tennessee’s quadruple-overtime win Saturday at Kentucky, making a pair of key 10-yard receptions in the 52-50 victory. His first moment was a circus catch for a touchdown in the first overtime that helped tie the score at 38. Then in the third extra period, Jones moved the chains with a crucial catch and run on third-and-8 to set up another TD.

Off the field, the Oklahoma City product is getting to know his East Tennessee surroundings and already has displayed a personality for leadership. Jones is an eager participant in UT’s community relations initiatives and seems to enjoy his opportunity to provide guidance and counseling to Knoxville-area youth.