KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee strong man Darwin Walker said he'll lift his game "to the next level" to help compensate for the loss of fellow defensive tackle Billy Ratliff.

Ratliff, who like Walker is a team captain, suffered a fractured fibula against Auburn and is out for the season.

The Vols play host to Georgia Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

Walker, a 6-foot-3, 295-pound preseason All-American, is one of the strongest men in UT football history with a 535-pound bench press, a 625-pound squat and a 365-pound power clean. He'll play the rest of this season with a heavy heart.

"I'm dedicating the rest of the season to Billy and I'm going to wear his number on my wristbands," Walker said, his voice wavering with emotion. "It hurt me to see Billy in the hospital bed when I went to see him (Sunday) night.

"He's such a great guy, he's like a brother to me. He's one of the reasons I decided to come back."

Walker turned down a chance to go pro after leading the Vols with six sacks and 15 quarterback pressures his junior season. Already, Walker has five sacks this season.

"I'm going to have to step up and play harder," Walker said. "I've been getting double teamed a lot, but that's not an excuse. If you want to be the best, you have to be able to beat double teams."

Sophomore John Henderson (6-7, 295) is expected to make his first career start in place of Ratliff on Saturday. Henderson came off the bench against Auburn and had seven tackles and a quarterback sack.

"I work with John every day, and he can be as good a defensive tackle as there's ever been here," Walker said. "It's just how fast can he close the gap."

With Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter coming to town, the sooner the better. Carter has been sacked an SEC-low three times this season.

The Vols put a great deal of pressure on Carter last season, but departed UT All-America middle linebacker Al Wilson had a lot to do with that.

"We also did some things that (Carter) hadn't seen, and we just kept bringing it," said defensive end Shaun Ellis, who leads the Vols with six sacks. "I don't think we'll catch them off guard this year."

Ellis, along with ends Will Overstreet and DeAngelo Lloyd, might get called on to play some defensive tackle.

The extra attention Walker gets often opens things up for other players.

"Darwin gets double-teamed and get a lot of attention," UT coach Phillip Fulmer said. "He's anchored our front the whole year."

(Mike Griffith writes for The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee.)