KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (UT) – Just two days removed from hip surgery, Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley was back at work on Thursday.
With the help of a golf cart, Dooley was actively involved in the team's final practice before heading to Starkville for Saturday's showdown against No. 19 Mississippi State (9 p.m. ET ESPN2).
Although the timing for his surgery was not ideal, Dooley did what he had to do.
"I didn't have an option, I had to get surgery this week," Dooley said on Vol Calls Wednesday evening. "If it split, I would have had to have a full hip replacement. I didn't want to miss any game planning, but that's why I had the surgery when I did."
Dooley will coach Saturday's game from the coaches booth in the press box at Davis Wade Stadium, but doesn't anticipate that change will cause any issues with game administration.
As usual, Dooley has a plan.
"I will have a point person on offense and one on defense," Dooley said. "Nothing will be disrupted other than being able to look players in eye."
The last time the head coach of the Vols was not on the sidelines was Sept. 26, 1992, when Johnny Majors, recovering from heart surgery, coached the Vols to a 40-0 win over Cincinnati from the coaches box at Neyland Stadium.
Information provided by UT Sports Media Relations and UTSports.com.
