Tennessee Football: Recapping the Vols' Orange and White Spring Game

It's a critical year for Derek Dooley on Rocky Top, and Vol fans got a glimpse of what the 2012 Volunteers will look like on Saturday when Tennessee hosted its Orange and White Spring Game.

Fixing the running game was clearly the top priority for Dooley. The Vols finished 2011 last in the SEC in rushing yards per game (90.08), more than 34 yards per game behind its closest competitor, Kentucky, which finished with a 124.17 YPG average.

In that sense, Dooley's mission was accomplished.

The star of the show at Neyland Stadium was running back Marlin Lane. Lane rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries for the Vols. Lane, who is Tennessee's leading returning rusher, showed that he has the game-breaking ability that the team lacked last season.

Also shining on Saturday was Rajion Neal. Neal converted from wide receiver to running back this spring and closed out spring practice with a bang, rushing for 49 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. 

Not to be outdone, sophomore Devrin Young rushed eight times for 39 yards and was named the most improved player of the spring at halftime, according to CBSSports.com. Young was Tennessee's top punt and kick returner from a year ago and can certainly provide a spark to that offense.

The Tennessee defense also drew rave reviews from coaches and fans. New defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri didn't have much time to get his 3-4 scheme installed and was pleased with how things finished up this spring, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Getting players used to the 3-4 will take some time, but Sunseri seems happy with where the Vols are right now.

There's no shortage of talent in Knoxville, and having junior college transfer defensive tackle Darrington Sentimore, who played on Alabama's 2009 and 2010 teams where Sunseri was an assistant, will certainly help the development of the defense between now and the start of fall camp.

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