Notes from around the country as spring football starts to heat up.

Tennessee
Big shoes to fill
It will be tough to replace Travis Stephens -- after all, he had 1,464 yards and 10 TDs last season -- but Tennessee has a trio of sophomores ready to try. Jabari Davis, Derrick Tinsley and Cedric Houston will carry the load for the Vols' running game next season. Davis is the kind of player who runs over defenders while Tinsley is more likely to run around them. Houston? Well, he's capable of doing both.

"They all have things they do really well," offensive coordinator Randy Sanders told The (Nashville) Tennessean. "I think they're just different enough that it will allow us to change up on people."

Last year, the trio had its share of ups and downs. Billed as one of the best recruiting classes in the country when they signed, they combined for 221 yards and four touchdowns.

But that was just a teaser.

"I feel like last year, how Miami had all those backs with different styles of running, we'll be like that — or even better," Davis told The Tennessean.

If the Vols are to make a run at the national championship, the offense will need the sophomores to run well. If that happens, well, the Tennessee offense which averaged 402 yards and nearly 30 points a game may be even better.

"We'll be even more balanced," QB Casey Clausen told The Tennessean. "I think we will be even more explosive than we were last year."

Arizona
Defense shines in Arizona
In its last practice before spring break, defense dominated at Arizona.

A full-contact workout saw a much more consistent and dominating defense, as evidenced by the half-dozen turnovers. The highlights came in a red zone drill where CB Michael Jolivette stripped the ball from WR Bobby Wade, which was recovered by Carlos Williams. Williams also batted down a pass in the drill.

"I told the defense that one thing we can get done, we have to run to the football; fly around and get there," coach John Mackovic told the Arizona Dailt Star. "We have to learn to get off blocks, get off the ground and go to the football."

The Cats take next week off and return to practice March 19.

Florida State
Tempers flare at Florida State
It was, um, a spirited workout.

The first contact work of the spring was punctuated by a couple of fights between offensive and defensive players. The scuffles were brief and quickly stopped by coach Bobby Bowden, who threatened to punish the offenders with some of the team's most hated exercises.

"It was a good practice," Bowden said. "They were excited and went after each other pretty good."

RB Greg Jones stole the show in 11-on-11 work. Jones, a 243-pound junior, took the handoff only to find no hole, reversed field and after stiff arming a defender, ran over another on the 30-yard run.

"It would be hard for me to say who stood out," Bowden said. "Naturally, you notice your ball carrier and Greg Jones had some nice runs out there today. Eric Moore made some nice plays and O.J. Jackson, who we moved to nose guard, he got through for a nice sack out there today. We had a bunch of them who made good plays."

Georgia
Laying it on the line
The offensive line continues to garner the attention in spring workouts

With the Bulldogs looking for depth, redshirt freshman Dennis Roland is turning heads. The 6-foot-7 tackle who weighs in around 300 pounds is playing well and coach Mark Richt believes he could add 30 pounds.

"Roland is getting so much better. If he had to play today, he could hold his own," Richt told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Is he where he's going to be? No. But there is no doubt in my mind he is going to be an outstanding football player for us. I say that from the progress he's made when we signed him to where he is today, and it's a great tribute to him."

While the Bulldogs lost All-SEC center Curt McGill, senior senior Ian Knight (6-4, 283) and redshirt freshman Russ Tanner (6-4, 295) give the 'Dawgs some depth there.

"Ian has really done a good job," Richt told the AJC. "All of a sudden he has gotten bigger and stronger and more serious. It's his senior year. But he's got to stay healthy. And Russ has given us every indication that he is going to be ready to go. (Freshman Josh) Brock has the ability to play center if we needed him to. And we have (Randall) Swoopes coming in."

Swoopes, a 6-3, 305-pounder form Athens, is the son of former Bulldog tackle Ronnie Swoopes.