Vols Will Start Ainge At Quarterback

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer on Monday named Erik Ainge the starting quarterback against LSU in hopes of getting the Volunteers' offense rolling.

Tenth-ranked Tennessee lost 16-7 at Florida, and now heads to Baton Rouge, La., as the No. 3 Tigers' first Southeastern Conference opponent on Saturday.

The Vols' offense has sputtered in their first two games, and Fulmer said sticking with one quarterback will help solve the problem.

Ainge, a sophomore, started the opener against UAB, but he lost the job to Rick Clausen at Florida. They rotated in the two games.

"That's a priority, getting on the same page, and one of those ways to help that is to go ahead and make a decision at quarterback and stay with Erik Ainge. That is what we're going to do," Fulmer said.

"That is certainly no reflection on Rick because he can help our football team win," Fulmer said, adding that he wants to move on with the season without his quarterbacks looking over their shoulders worrying about their positions.

Ainge did not play well in the 17-10 win over UAB on Sept. 3 by completing 5 of 14 passes and having two passes intercepted. Clausen came off the bench to calm the Vols, and he finished 24-of-17 for 217 yards with a touchdown and interception.

The performance earned Clausen the start last weekend against Florida, but the offense faltered.

Ainge entered the game on Tennessee's third series and stayed in for the next, which ended with his 8-yard pass to Bret Smith for a touchdown that tied the game.

Clausen came back in for the final 1:13 of the first half but did not play in the second half.

Ainge was 14-of-29 for 147 yards with no interceptions against the Gators.
Fulmer said he talked to the team about his decision. Players are not available for interviews following Monday practices.

Clausen, a captain and senior, transferred from LSU and joined the Vols while his older brother Casey was still Tennessee's quarterback. He was passed over at the start of last season by Ainge and fellow freshman Brent Schaeffer, but Clausen ended up the starter at the end of the season because of injuries.

Fulmer initially picked Ainge because he has a stronger arm and is more mobile that Clausen. Fulmer indicated using two quarterbacks may not have been a good idea.

"Hindsight is 20-20 and I was trying to be fair to all concerned. Rick had played really well for us," he said. "It's not working out. What degree it's caused some of the issues versus man-to-man and some of those things, I can't put a percentage on that. But it's one of the things we can do something about."