KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - You're only one play away.

Like a motivational life jacket, it's a phrase football coaches often toss out to their reserve players. Admittedly, sometimes it's said only to stimulate those players who do not often get on the field, said John Chavis, the University of Tennessee's defensive coordinator.

At other times, though, like this season for the Volunteers, it's a simple truth.

Over the course of the season - an 8-4 campaign that will come to a close Dec. 31 when the Vols play Maryland in the Peach Bowl - Tennessee lost its best pass-rusher (Constantin Ritzman in the preseason), best linebacker (Kevin Burnett in the season opener) and best defensive back (Rashad Baker in mid-November) to knee ligament tears.

Overall, the Vols lost nine defenders who started at one time or another for a total of 47 games. Of the major losses, only Baker is expected back for the bowl game.

All the injuries forced unfamiliar names to the forefront and made unheralded seniors household names. The final result: Chavis' patchwork defense finished seventh in the nation in total defense and ninth in points allowed.

And those figures are slightly skewed because of a six-overtime victory over Arkansas early in the season. Take away the Razorbacks' late yardage and 21 points in the extra periods and the Vols are fourth nationally in points allowed and sixth in total defense. The Vols put up these numbers despite being routed by Florida (30-13), Alabama (34-14) and defending national champion Miami (26-3).

"I think it's something you can be very proud of," said Chavis, who's often mild-mannered but wasn't when it came to an issue of pride.

"Our guys hung in there and showed a lot of courage, showed a lot of heart. People questioned that all year, and I say bull to them. You're danged right it's something you can be proud of. If not, there's something wrong with you."

Stoking Chavis' sharp-tongued boast is the way his depleted unit finished the season - consecutive Southeastern Conference shutouts.

The first was over Vanderbilt, the conference's perennial doormat. No surprise there; Tennessee shut out the Commodores last season as well. The second, however, was against Kentucky, which came in as the league's highest-scoring offense (35.0 points a game). Most were taken aback by this outcome - not Chavis.

"No, it's not really that surprising," he said. "These guys are capable of doing that."

From the onset the defense was seemingly up against a proverbial wall. Many Tennessee fans had little faith in the unit, which lost all four starters on the defensive line to the NFL. Despite the departures of John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth - top-15 selections - as well as Will Over-street and Bernard Jackson, the line prospered throughout the season.

The emergence of junior-college transfers Demetrin Veal and Aubrayo Franklin, both in their last year at Tennessee, also certainly helped.

"It was burning me up listening to the comments in the spring and summer," Veal said. "When the season started it was like animals being let out of the cage. We were all ready to prove ourselves."

The Vols' senior linebackers also made their mark. Eddie Moore, a captain, led the team with 81 tackles. He recorded one of his two sacks in Tennessee's other loss, 18-13, to Georgia. Keyon Whiteside was sixth on the team with 51 tackles.

The secondary, much-maligned for getting torched last season, quelled that reputation this season, creating more turnovers than the defensive backfields of old.

"We had to go out and prove to everybody what we could do," said cornerback Julian Battle, whose stock has improved so much that he's likely to be taken in the first round of April's NFL draft. "There's always going to be critics, and we had to hush them. I think we played pretty well this year."

No one's exactly faulting the defense for any of Tennessee's four losses, but that doesn't mean its members do not show accountability.

"As far as the won-lost record, no, we're not very proud of that," Chavis said. "It's not where we thought we could be; it's not where we thought we should be. But considering it all, you've got to be proud of these young men."