Academic suspension for Vols' Montori Hughes

A season that started with great expectations for Montori Hughes will end with him on the sideline. The sophomore defensive tackle, who's struggled with injuries and never really delivered on the preseason attention he received this year, will miss the regular-season finale against Kentucky on Saturday, due to an academic suspension. Vols coach Derek Dooley announced the decision on Monday during his weekly press conference, and no matter how Hughes has played to this point, his absence could be a significant issue for a team already short on depth in the middle of the defensive line as UT tries to earn a bowl bid against the Wildcats. "We suspended Montori Hughes for academic reasons, an academic suspension similar to what fullback Kevin Cooper went through early in the year," Dooley said. "He won't be playing in the game. "I do think it's big, because we're so thin and unproductive at defensive tackle. Anybody we lose there, it hurts the team - there's no question. But we have an academic accountability system that they understand and they know the consequences. I've told them, it's the same old line that everybody can do what they want. Everybody has freedom of choice, but nobody has freedom of consequence and at some point, you can't play."