Fulmer: Vols still have a way to climb

The Tennessee Volunteers closed spring practice Saturday showing some improvement, but coach Phillip Fulmer said the team needs to climb a bit farther ?to get back to where we want to be.?

Tennessee is coming off a 5-6 season ? the worst under Fulmer, who has been revamping the offense with new coordinator David Cutcliffe, who returned to his old job.

Cutcliffe left Tennessee in 1998 to be head coach at Mississippi and was hired back to replace Randy Sanders, who resigned last season.

The coaches have promised a more exciting offense with more scoring, but the Vols showed little of that during the annual Orange and White game. The defense also was held back from blitzing.

The White won 34-7, but the score wasn?t very important to Fulmer.

?We?re doing everything we can to fight and scratch and work and take each little step we can to get back to where we want to be and that?s the peak,? he said. ?The kids have had a good attitude thus far, but as we continue through the summer program, that will be one of the deciding factors of what kind of football team we will have.?