Vols edge rusher Weathersby to miss rest of season with knee injury

KNOXVILLE — While Tennessee's defense has been one of the most-improved units in the SEC this season, the group will be without one of its top players for the year's home stretch. Defensive lineman Tyree Weathersby will be out for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. The senior went down with a non-contact injury in the second half of last Saturday's contest against Kentucky. Austin Price of VolQuest first reported the severity of the injury before being confirmed by Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel on Monday. Weathersby leads the Vols in sacks with seven on the season. He's also registered 20 total tackles, eight and a half tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and a pair of fumble recoveries. "I hate it for Tyree," Heupel said. "He's played extremely well. He's worked extremely hard. Was playing his best football. I know he'll bounce back from it, but it'll be a huge bump in the road for him." The Vols will look to get increased production from the likes of Mariyon Dye and Jordan Norman to help fill the void of Weathersby. Dye, a sophomore, has recorded five sacks and 11 total tackles this season. Against Kentucky, the Indiana native came up with a key fumble recovery that allowed the Vols to pull away in the contest. Norman is in his first season in the program after transferring in from Tulane. He has made 17 total tackles and two and a half sacks. "Those two guys, we've got great trust in," Heupel said. "They have played extremely well. There will be some young guys that will have to step up as well." It's a big loss for a Vols defense that ranks well in many statistical categories. Tennessee leads all of FBS with 39 sacks, two ahead of Baylor for the lead. It is tied for seventh in the FBS and leads the SEC with 74 tackles for loss. They are fifth in the conference in opponents' third-down conversion rate, first in opponents' fourth-down conversion rate and third in turnovers forced. Carter, Moss Earn Weekly Honors Two other key cogs of the Tennessee defense, linebacker Arion Carter and safety Qua Moss, were recognized nationally for their efforts in the win over Kentucky. Carter, a Tennessee native and team captain, was the Defensive Player of the Week for the SEC. He made 13 total tackles, a season-high, as well as a career-high two sacks and four tackles for loss. Moss, a transfer from Kansas State, made nine tackles and forced a pair of fumbles, which both resulted in turnovers. He also broke up a pass, made a sack and registered a quarterback hurry. The defensive back's efforts saw him named the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl Defensive Player of the Week. Fall Ball Concludes On the diamond, the Tennessee baseball team wrapped up the fall on Sunday afternoon with a scrimmage against Georgia Tech in Chattanooga. The Vols won 15-2 behind home runs from Andrew Duncan, Braydon Kersey and Colt Springall. Transfer shortstop Chris Ramirez notched a pair of hits and an RBI, as did Stone Lawless. Southpaw starting pitcher Cam Appenzeller tossed the first two innings for Tennessee, walking two and hitting a batter but allowing no runs and three strikeouts. The Vols will now break for the holidays before returning to practice in January. They open the season on Feb. 19 against Northern Illinois.