Motivation: Sophomore cornerback Jonathan Wade found a nugget of motivation online. Wade said an Auburn website showcased a picture of Auburn players biting into oranges after beating Alabama. The national championship game is held in the Orange Bowl this year.

Tough Young Man: UT freshman wide receiver Robert Meachem said mismatches as a youth gave him the toughness to compete with older players. Meachem said he regularly played backyard football and basketball with neighborhood kids much older than him.



"I couldn’t beat them because I was so young," the Oklahoma native said. "I would go in the house and cry. I could never beat them until I got older. I started getting better than them."



Meachem is the only UT receiver to top 100-yards receiving in a game this season. He had 145 against Kentucky last week. Meachem hasn’t been one to back down from a challenge even when he first arrived on campus last year.



"If you’re going to be intimidated, don’t play the sport," Meachem said.

Comfortable: Pressuring Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell will be a top priority for UT’s defense. The Tiger signal-caller has only been sacked 15 times this season, good for fourth in the SEC.



"He’s in a comfort zone right now and he’s playing that way," said UT wide receiver coach Pat Washington. "You watch him on television and he has the same expression on his face. He doesn’t change. In the Alabama game, he was down a little bit. His expression didn’t change."



Washington doesn’t scout opposing offenses but he has seen Campbell play when scouting opposing defenses when they play Auburn. Washington lettered as an Auburn quarterback from 1983-85. Is Campbell better than Washington?



"Heck no," Washington said playfully. "He’s not quite as good as I was."



Short Leash: UT’s decision to start sophomore Corey Campbell at strong safety was based on practice performance.



"That’s still a point that we’re working on getting better at," said UT defensive backs coach Larry Slade. "He’s practiced better than the other guys. He’s got to do it on the field."



Said Campbell about starting: "I’m very excited. I’m more excited about putting that ring on after we get this win on Saturday."

Chemistry: The improved chemistry between UT’s receivers and junior quarterback Rick Clausen has improved to the point where freelancing is a possibility. Players may enjoy that approach. Coaches do not.



"The other day he threw me a couple of passes and Coach Sanders didn’t like it (because) we didn’t practice it," UT senior wide receiver Tony Brown said. "The Sam linebacker was cheating inside to cheat on the run so Rick was going to throw me the ball in the middle and let me run."



Injury Report: Fulmer said defensive tackle Justin Harrell has made significant progress in trying to return from an ankle sprain suffered against Kentucky. Harrell expected to play a limited role Saturday.



Travesty: Fulmer voiced his displeasure of Ole Miss’s decision to dismiss head coach David Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe was UT’s offensive coordinator before accepting the Ole Miss job in 1998.



"I think it’s just a travesty," Fulmer said. "There is not a better man that I know in all of college football. Replacing the first player drafted is not an easy thing particularly at a school like Ole Miss. From what I understand, they wanted him to fire some coaches and he didn’t want to do that. I respect that."

Fulmer said, since his hiring in 1993, there have been 21 coaches fired at eleven different schools.

Rematch: Junior free safety Jason Allen seems excited to have another shot at Ronnie Brown, who ran over Allen en route to the end zone in the first UT-Auburn game.



"You have to have the mentality to go eat. Don’t expect somebody to feed you," Allen said. "You can’t sit back and expect him to lay over and go down while you jump all over him. Watch the game, you’ll see."



Vol Notes: UT has practiced indoors this week on their 120-yard practice field to simulate the Georgia Dome’s artificial turf.

Tiger Note: A win against UT would give Campbell 30 career wins at Auburn. He is currently tied with Stan White as the all-time wins leader with 29.