Shamburger impresses in first-career start, showed 'he belongs'

Shawn Shamburger patiently waited nearly two months for his first real taste of SEC football, but the freshman cornerback turned plenty of heads when he finally got his opportunity last Saturday.

Although Tennessee was spanked 45-7 at No. 1 Alabama, Shamburger emerged as one of the few bright spots from the loss. The Theodore, Ala., native, who actually played his final high school season at Colquitt County (Ga.), competed well against All-SEC wideout Calvin Ridley and ended up leading Tennessee in tackles.

"The thing that impressed me was that the stage wasn't too big for him," defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said.

"He played like he had practiced all week. I'm not saying he played perfect, but he stepped and showed that he belongs at this level. He is a guy to keep an eye on in the future and is the kind of player we are looking for."

It was an emotional homecoming for Shamburger, who had more than 10 family and friends in attendance Saturday. After secondary coach Charlton Warren told Shamburger on Wednesday that he would replace an injured Justin Martin in the starting lineup, the freshman solicited extra tickets from his teammates.

With his mom, aunt and several other family and friends sitting in the stands at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the 6-foot, 190-pound made his presence felt immediately with a pair of physical tackles on short passes to Ridley on two of the first three plays of the game.

“I always believed in myself,” said Shamburger, who also admitted he was hyped and nervous for his first-career start against the Alabama.

“My teammates believed in me, but it was just the matter of getting the coaches’ go ahead to just go play.

"When you’re playing a player of that magnitude with all the hype around him. Of course, it’s going to get to you. You want to react a certain way. You just have to trust your training and what you learned since you’ve been here.”

Ridley finished with eight receptions for 82 yards, but not all were against Shamburger. Twice, Tennessee’s cornerback did a nice job running stride for stride with Alabama’s top wideout, eliminating a couple deep shot opportunities.

Shamburger was also solid in run support on the edges, finishing with 12 tackles (7 solo) and a sack. He also had a nice hustle effort, forcing a touchdown-saving fumble that was only negated by a penalty.

Shamburger said he “didn’t surprise himself” with his play Saturday, but he was his own worst critic following an impressive debut.

"I just have to be more patient, honestly," he said. “I feel like some plays I overstepped or I did this wrong or I did that wrong. So, when I look back on film, I look at myself and I criticize myself along with the coaches."

Shamburger was one of the young stars during Tennessee’s training camp in August, with several coaches saying behind the scenes that the freshman was already the team’s best press-cover corner.

Still, he was buried behind a trio of seniors for the first six games of the season. Not any longer, though.

“That’s a done deal, I promise you that,” Shoop said on Shamburger's spot in the rotation moving forward.

“That guy showed the stage wasn’t too big for him. They tried to pick on him that first series and he makes a tackle the first play of the game on a 3-step (drop). He gets a sack. He triggers on the run. That guy can play.”