If the Vols’ victory over Texas A&M was any indication, Tennessee Football should just keep getting better in the run game.
The Vols racked up 232 rushing yards in a 20-13 win against the Aggies and are quickly becoming known as a team that relies on its offense to run the ball in order to succeed. That’s quite a departure from last season. Sure, UT still took pride in running the ball last season – and was very good at it – but Tennessee’s offense this season is proving to be truly elite when they keep the ball on the ground.
With a current average of 230 yards on the ground per game, Tennessee Football ranks sixth in the nation and No. 1 in the SEC. The Vols’ 5.8 yards per carry ranks fifth in the nation and is also first in the conference. That’s pretty good no matter how you stack it. And it could get better.
Keep in mind the Vols registered all of the above statistics without preseason All-SEC center Cooper Mays available for the four games due to an abdominal injury. Mays returned against South Carolina and took the Vols’ offensive line to another level. Tennessee continued to run the ball well against the Gamecocks and, again, on Saturday against the Aggies. Staying atop the rushing standings and, perhaps, even improving is Mays’ goal moving forward.
“My thought is, is that in a few weeks, my body will be back adjusted,” the senior told Off The Hook Sports. “And at that point most people’s bodies will be broken down by that point in the season. So hopefully I’ll be fresh until the end of the year.”
If that’s the case, then opposing defensive fronts had better watch out. While the Vols continue to struggle in the passing game, the Vols are legit on the ground. There’s no question that Tennessee can run the football at a very proficient level. Mays admitted to struggling at times in his first game this season, against the Gamecocks. Despite all the conditioning he underwent before he returned to action, there’s no way of actually simulating the Vols’ up-tempo offense during an actual game.
“I think the hardest part is conditioning is an issue in and of itself, but kind of getting to the point where your body is adjusted to playing again,” Mays said. “I mean, there’s definitely a point where you get beat up so bad at a point in the season where near the end you’re like, your body’s thinking, you’re done. But, if you don’t do preseason training like me,…it actually ended up being really good (for his current health).”
Does that mean Mays could be even fresher than the defenders he’ll be facing later this season, beginning with Alabama on Saturday? Almost assuredly.
Tennessee’s offense may look much different to the casual observer than it did last season when the Vols were setting scoring records in bunches with a passing game what was more explosive than post-touchdown fireworks over Neyland Stadium in 2022. However, Tennessee Football has been more ground based this season. Does Mays see a big difference when the Vols have the ball?
“I’m not really sure if we’re that much different,” Mays said. “I think just the way stuff unfolds, you realize you have some strengths here and there that you may not have had the year before or just different stuff unfolds and you realize you get your groove going a little bit and you kind of figure out what’s your bread and butter?”
Yes, the Vols are playing to their strengths, which is headlined by its running backs: Jaylen Wright, Jabari Small and Dylan Sampson.
“Having a backfield full of three guys that are really, really good as far as the running back room is what I’m talking about,” Mays said. “That really bodes well and and does well for us because everybody’s fresh all the time. And it’s hard to stop those guys.”
That’s the truth. The Vols win against A&M and their standings among the best rushing teams in the country is proof that.
