Beast, a article on "your boy"...

The fullback position is one of little fame and is one where the role goes to the forgotten man. Freshman Channing Fugate fits that category and fits that role just fine.

Fugate was a forgotten guy in the recruiting process. He was the often times forgotten mid-term enrollee and up until a suspension to senior Kevin Cooper, Fugate's freshman year appeared headed to special teams obscurity.

But after getting his first start a week ago, Fugate's poised to be a factor the rest of the season as the Kentucky native is slated to start ahead of Cooper, who returns from suspension Saturday night.

"Yeah, it did a little bit," Fugate said when asked if he was surprised he was still starting. "I just tried to go in there and play my hardest and see where it goes from there. I hope the coaches can see now that me and Coop (Kevin Cooper) can both get the job done, which makes the position that much better.

"I thought my first year, I would come in and relieve Coop (Kevin Cooper) a little bit and finish some games. Then this opportunity came and I am trying to make the most of it. I never thought it would be right here, right now."

Perhaps not, but as offensive coordinator Jim Chaney noted after Wednesday's practice, Fugate simply did too many things well to keep the Jackson, Ky., native off the field moving forward.

"I thought he played a wonderful ballgame for a true freshman on the road starting his first ball game," Chaney said. "I was really impressed. I was really pleased with him. It's always disappointing to lose a ballgame, but I think we all understand that in loss and defeat there can be some good and bad things. I thought Channing's performance was a bright spot in the ball game.

"I thought his physical play, his energy, his awareness. He looked liked he belonged. He looked like a fullback. When we got loose somewhere he was there to back us up. I just think he played with a lot of good instincts and a natural fullback."

As Fugate, who had his first career reception at South Carolina, prepares for his second start, he admits things are a little more relaxed this week.

"It's been a little bit easier. Last week, I was a little bit unsure how I would do in there," said the 6-foot-2, 244-pounder. "When I saw that I could go in there, compete and do good, it gave me a lot more confidence.

"It was crazy with my first start. I just tried to get ready all week and help the team as much as I could."

While Fugate realized Saturday that he can play in the SEC, he's quick to point out that he is a long way from arriving in his college career.

"I have to work on my blocking a little bit. I think I can help catching some balls out in the flat. I think I have the size and strength to be a good blocker," Fugate said. "I feel like it's easier to block in the pass game. In the run game, you actually have to move the defender to open up a running hole. In the pass game, you have to just keep them from getting to the quarterback. The run game is a little bit tougher."

The other thing that Fugate sees tougher is practice. In fact, he found Saturday's game to be easier than what he went through last week.

"I felt like the game felt easier than practice. In practice in a lot of drills the defense knows what you are doing. In a game, your adrenaline is pumping and it's a lot more fun to go play a game and go in there and just try to smash people."

It's something the no-longer wide-eyed freshman hopes to do more of Saturday night in his second career start.

For anyone who doesn't know this kid played for Breathitt Co. last year. He started at FB for UT last Saturday and played pretty well.

He has doubled in size from what he was in high school last year. Coming in early in the spring made all the difference. He had a heck of a game for a true freshman in the SEC. Watching him early in the game he was doing a heck of a job run blocking.

Yep. He still doesn't have that "pop" where he can just smack you and put you on your ass, but he was moving people out of the way.

A little more....

Coach Dooley knows what it takes to win that bowl game and take that next step." Added classmate Channing Fugate, who took over starting duties as the lead blocker for tailback Tauren Poole down the stretch, "We're a young team, and the more practices the better. It just helps us develop as a team and it's one more game for these seniors, too. And they deserve it."

SHARP-DRESSED FULLBACK
Tennessee freshman fullback Channing Fugate had a 17-yard reception Saturday as the Vols beat the Kentucky native's home team. As well as Fugate donned his orange jersey for the game, he might have topped it with an all-orange ensemble for post-game interviews. Fugate had a full orange suit, complete with vest, tie and orange alligator shoes.
Naturally, he didn't get the threads in the Bluegrass State, but he also explained he had the suit even before he became a Vol.
"I actually ordered it on the Internet. It was my brother's for senior year prom, it was his senior year and my sophomore year, and we ordered them," Fugate said of the dapper all-orange outfit. "Whenever I wore it first, we didn't have a clue I was going to Tennessee so no one really joked about it.
"I might [wear it back home to Jackson, Ky.]."
Fugate acknowledged he's grown much more comfortable in his role as fullback. The former Breathitt County standout had more than 6,000 yards during his stellar high school career.
"I've come a long way since I first got here in the spring. I was used to playing running back; I'd never played fullback before I got here," Fugate said. "And it was kind of rough in the spring, but fullback is the position Kevin Cooper and Austin Johnson were used to playing, and they said you just get it all of the sudden. I don't feel like I've got it all the way yet, but I'm coming along."
The 6-fot-2, 244-pounder said the "Baby Vols" --- UT's rookie contributors --- were intently focused on helping send the seniors out on a winning note.
"We talked a lot. These seniors have been through a lot," Fugate said. "We said the seniors, we knew they were going to give their all and we wanted to give our all to get a win.
"Coach (Derek) Dooley just said he's proud of us and when we were 2-6, we could have quit but we just stuck together as a team and we're going bowling now. So that's good."
Fugate said he didn't deal with much negativity from Wildcats fans in the week leading up to their showdown with the Vols. "A lot of people have told me good luck, and they're big UK fans. That means a lot having their support," he said.

With kids like Fugate,, the future is looking brighter for the VOLS...

i believe by the end of february, we will know what direction CDD has the Vols headed in.
its his first recruiting season, and what kind of players he brings in will show us what he wants to do at UT. not the caliber of players (although that will be very important, if DD can convince a few big time recruits to bring UT back to prominence the process could be a lot faster than expected), but the type of players.

I expect to see him go after skilled corners, smart linebackers, and game breaking WR's. he doesnt seem like the guy to recruit three or four 6'5 WR's or athletic corners with no skill.

Fugate layed some great blocks Saturday.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Biggin

i believe by the end of february, we will know what direction CDD has the Vols headed in.

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At least they will be taking showers with 'rags' and soap... that is a classic.

Another one for The Beast....


After an eloquent explanation of his fullback's nickname and having outlined what sophomore Channing Fugate brings to Tennessee's offense, head coach Derek Dooley made certain to point out what Fugate did not do: place himself before the good of the team.

"What I was surprised at was he wasn't coming to me saying 'I want the ball.' That's what most people who stack three 1,000 yards of offense on top of each other do," said Dooley in reference to "Three-stack" Fugate. "They come and do one iso play and say 'Coach, when are you going to give me the ball?' I sat there and purposely didn't give him to ball to see if he'd ever come and he didn't. Then I decided we probably should give him the ball. We're designing some plays to get him the ball.

"He's doing well. He really is. Not a selfish guy, he's a great team football player. He's kind of that old school. It doesn't matter what you do to him. He just goes in and does what you want."

A year ago, what Fugate wanted to do was simply help the Vols in any small way and progressively cap his apprenticeship under then-senior Kevin Cooper. But the 6-foot-2, 245-pounder from Jackson, Ky., was forced into the starting lineup when Cooper was academically suspended for UT's Halloween trip to South Carolina.

All Fugate did was start five games down the stretch and appear in each of the Vols' 13 contests.

"It helped a lot. Boosted my confidence a little bit, that the coaches showed that they trust me to be out there and it's just helped a lot," Fugate said. "I was a little bit. I came in and thought I was just going to be a backup mainly and on special teams. At first it surprised me.

"Coop, he was a good fullback. I just thought I was going to be his backup the whole year and help out on special teams as much as I can."

Though Fugate was scarcely incorporated into the offense a year ago, he possesses the ball skills that Dooley believes could help him be more involved moving forward.

"I think Channing is going to be an important role player for us on offense, too. What Channing does is he can do things that most fullbacks can't. Now, as a starting point you've got to remember he gained 3,000 yards in a season as a runner. Thus, the nickname three-stack. That's what the team calls him, three-stack, because he stacked a thousand, on a thousand, on a thousand," Dooley said. "Not an easy thing to do. So, three-stack has some instinctive running ability that most 250-pound running backs don't have. It also tells you he's athletic so he can catch out of the backfield, you can maneuver him between some of these big offensive linemen to get to his backer. We're going to create as much of a role for him as we can. We're going to push him. We're going to put him out wide some and move him around. I think he's going to add a nice dimension for us."

While Fugate, with more than 6,000 career yards during his standout prep career at Breathitt County, admits his comfort with the ball in his hands, he's more focused on being a good fullback and ensuring consistency from the offensive unit.

"The whole offense, it was inconsistent with the running game last year. We're just trying to strive on getting better with that," Fugate said. "The thing is, just be more physical and we've gotten stronger in the offseason. Our new strength coach (Ron McKeefery) has been incredible at getting us stronger, and we just need to come out here and be physical."

And while Fugate doesn't avoid studying the nuances of the Vols' playbook, he said his position ultimately comes down to a physical disposition.

"A lot of other positions are studying a whole lot more," he said. "Fullback is really, 'There's the linebacker, go get him. Be as physical as possible.' We've still got to know a lot of the playbook, but it's coming out here and being physical that gets you noticed as a fullback and makes you a good fullback."

With the combo of a more experienced OL and Fugate blocking, and teams having to respect the pass with Bray, Hunter, and Rogers, UT should be able to run the ball the best they have in 10 years if Poole improves just a little.