It’s easy to talk about Tennessee’s passing game. It’s really good. We know that. There hasn’t been nearly as much conversation about the Vols’ potential to be a really potent team on the ground. That’s well worth discussing.
Let the chatter begin. We’ll see if Tennessee continues to run the ball effectively as they did in a 59-10 win against Ball State on Thursday. If so, that could be scary for opposing offenses, which are already on guard after what the Vols did with the ball in their hands last season.
Tennessee ranked third in the SEC last season in rushing. That stat may surprise some. With so much talk about quarterback Hendon Hooker and Tennessee’s passing game, the Vols’ rushing attack is easy to overlook.
The preseason talk concerning the running game was half right. Jabari Small was said to be bigger and more physical. That was evident, especially on a touchdown run in the second quarter in which he powered into the end zone. However, there wasn’t much talk about Jaylen Wright, who is now clearly Tennessee’s second option at running back.
Wright finished the game with 88 yards on 13 carries. Small ran for 63 yards on 13 carries. They were the go-to guys in the backfield throughout the first half, averaging 5.8-yards per carry combined. If another tailback is pushing for playing time, then Tennessee’s coaches are trying to hide him before the Pittsburgh game next week. Dylan Sampson played extensively in the third quarter, but Small and Wright are clearly the first two options at tailback. Certainly, Tennessee will need another running back or two this season, but UT’s coaches made a clear declaration on Thursday that Wright and Small are their guys.
We’ll see if Wright’s fumble in the second quarter changes any coach’s mind about the direction of the running game. I doubt it. It was a perfect hit that dislodged the ball, which was recovered by offensive lineman Darnell Wright.
Will the Vols leave the door open for another running back to enter the rotation without something unforeseen happening? Time will tell. For now, Tennessee has a nifty duo with Small and Wright.
The Vols used the Ball State game for what it was – a dress rehearsal for real football, which starts next week. It’s easy to say that Pitt is a surefire win with optimism at an all-time high. That trip to the great northeast is far from a guaranteed victory.
Pitt is better on the offensive and defensive line than many people realize. There’s no comparison between the two teams’ skill-position players. Tennessee is vastly superior. Maybe the Vols are a bit closer in the trenches, especially on offense, than the analysts think. We’ll see.
Whatever happens against Pitt, it’s clear the Vols are focused on further developing their ground game and sticking to it. It’s also clear that Small and Wright are the guys that Tennessee will turn to when it’s time to hand the ball off. It must get boring throwing the ball downfield so often. Small and Wright can provide some excitement on the ground based on how they played against Ball State.
Tennessee has known commodities in the passing game. No one is anointing Small and Wright as potential Heisman candidates like Hooker. However, it’s crystal clear that Tennessee’s coaches have anointed them as their one-two punch unless something drastically changes.
