NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Vols Say They're Better, Despite 0-3 SEC Start

Vols Say They're Better, Despite 0-3 SEC Start

(AP) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee record is the same this year as it was last year heading into the division rivalry game against Georgia. The mood is different though, the Volunteers say.

The Vols are again off to an 0-3 start against the Southeastern Conference and hold a 2-3 overall record while preparing for the Bulldogs (3-2, 2-1).

Center Cody Sullins said no one's down and there's not as much negativity this season as there has been in seasons past.

The similar start last year helped cost coach Phillip Fulmer his job before the season was over.

The pressure on the team to help the 17-year veteran Vols coach succeed may have made the team feel worse, but players said it's the new staff under coach Lane Kiffin that's helping keep morale up.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)