There are plenty of reasons to remember the Tennessee-Ole Miss game from last season.
There’s the alleged fake cramping, the golf balls, the mustard bottle and that coach that has a habit of rubbing Tennessee fans the wrong way. However, Tennessee tailback Jabari Small remembers something else entirely different about that game.
Small remembers being tired. Very, very tired.
“It was definitely the Ole Miss game,” Small said when asked if there was a moment last season in which he knew he had to add some weight to his 5-foot-11 frame. “I was running real hard in the first half, then in the second half I was like ‘Dang, I’m tired, beat up and can’t even feel my shoulder.’
“That’s when it clicked that I have to address this.”
Addressing the issue meant more time in the weight room and more steaks. The bovine diet has helped. Small was barely able to tip the scales at 200 pounds last season. Now, he hovers around 212 to 215 pounds.
That physical change has many wondering: Can Small go from a part-time tailback to a running back that can handle 20 to 25 carries per game.
“I really do,” Tennessee running backs coach Jerry Mack said. “One thing about Jabari that he has done a great job of is he’s added armor to his body.”
Mack said Small is breaking more tackles and extending longer runs in practice. That’s good. He’s also able to physically endure practices from beginning to end. That’s better.
“You can see a different mentality,” Mack said. “The one thing about weight and strength is it changes your mindset as well.”
That seems to be the case. Small, who rushed for 796 yards last season, believes a 1,000-yard season is well within his grasp.
“I think I’ve prepared for that type of season, so I’m excited to get out there and show what I can do,” he said.
Tennessee will certainly take 1,000 or more rushing yards from Small this season. More importantly, the Vols have to have pass protection from whomever is in the backfield. Tennessee’s offense is predicated on its passing game. Keeping quarterback Hendon Hooker upright is important. The second-team preseason All-SEC selection is the focal point of Tennessee’s entire program and he’s been very accepting of that role.
“He’s even correcting some of the coaches on some play calls,” Small said with a smile.
That means Hooker is important. It’s a good thing that Small seems to enjoy pass protection nowadays.
“Now, you can see he’s not scared of that contact,” Mack said. “He wants to get it. He wants to get that contact.”
In addition to being needed in the passing game, the Vols will need a short-yardage running back when the time calls for it. Small thinks he can be that as well.
“You’ve got to have heart to take on those two extra yards and fight when you’re hurting,” Small said. “Everybody is hurting, but you have to be the one to separate yourself and keep going.”
Small may prove to have a successful season and, perhaps even, shatter the record books. For now, the Vols will just be happy if he’s juiced, healthy and 100-percent ready to play late in games. That starts with being available late in practices, which has been the case so far in preseason camp.
“Just being available for my team,” Small said. “It was something that needed to be addressed from last season. It’s come with a lot of benefits.
“It’s made me a better player.”
