Fulmer calls talk about status ‘misinformation’

Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer spent a lot of time Tuesday dismissing speculation about his job security.

Fulmer said at Tennessee’s weekly media day that most of the talk about his job being on the line has been “misinformation,” though he said he doesn’t bother paying attention to much of it.

“In the short term here, it’s not where anybody wants it to be, starting with me,” he said. “I’m just going to go to work and do the very, very best that I can for the Tennessee people, the Tennessee family, the administration and whoever.”

The Volunteers (3-5, 1-4 SEC) haven’t beaten a ranked opponent this season. Every remaining game, starting with South Carolina on Saturday night, is a must-win if the Vols want a shot at playing in a bowl.

“We’re in the age of instant gratification and what have you done lately. I understand that,” Fulmer said. “Hopefully we can give everyone good encouragement about winning and what we’re going to do in the future, with how we play.”

Fulmer said there were some things he would have done differently had he been able to foresee the results, but he refused to say specifically what those things were.

The 17-year veteran defended his career and did so without any mention of his 1998 national championship or two SEC championships. He said he’s run a clean program, tried to develop academic and life skills within his players and won 75 percent of his games as a coach.

He said he hopes that by rounding up a strong recruiting class and overcoming problems with changing offensive systems and quarterbacks, he’s giving fans something to look forward to.

“If we can hang on to all those guys and add to it a little bit, I think there’s a lot of reason for optimism,” he said.

> WASHINGTON: Hours after the school announced that Tyrone Willingham will not return for next season, former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin expressed interest in the opening.

> NORTH TEXAS: Fifteen football players failed drug tests conducted this fall at the request of coach Todd Dodge, who referred to the substances as “street drugs.”

> PURDUE: Senior quarterback Curtis Painter, who suffered what his coach called a slight-to-moderate right shoulder separation last weekend, might sit out Saturday’s game at Michigan. His streak of 40 consecutive starts leads the nation.

> WASHINGTON STATE: The Cougars (1-7) plan to use freshman quarterback J.T. Levenseller Saturday at Stanford, ending his redshirt status.

> LSU: Backup quarterback Andrew Hatch suffered a leg injury in last Saturday’s Georgia game and is listed as day-to-day.

> ARIZONA: His doctor disclosed that basketball coach Lute Olson, who recently retired, suffered a stroke within the last year.

> ETC: The committee that manages the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, formerly known as the Division I-AA playoffs, has endorsed a plan to move the championship game to early January when the field expands from 16 to 20 teams next season. The NCAA Board of Directors is scheduled to vote on the proposal later this week.