Tennessee Football tailback Dylan Sampson wasn’t going to alleviate any concerns about his durability this season in a big win against Chattanooga on Saturday. However, he certainly showed some versatility that should make the Vols’ upcoming opponents a bit concerned.
He may have been 200 pounds when the Chattanooga game begin, but after a hot day he probably dropped off that mark, even though many think he’s not that big anyway. In a 69-3 win over the Mocs, Sampson showed he could be a nifty runner with a strong offensive line in front of him and catch some passes from freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, which accounted for 29 yards on three catches.
Sampson isn’t like the Vols’ leading rusher last season, Jaylen Wright, who was more of a bruiser than Sampson could ever hope to be. However, the change might be for the best.
Tennessee’s offensive philosophy is to stretch the field horizontally as well as vertically. Sampson’s ability to catch passes in the flats, make people miss and turn in a short throw into a long gain hasn’t been seen yet as Chattanooga hemmed him up. However, it was clear that Tennessee Football trying to establish a different offensive attack than it had with Wright last year.
Sampson isn’t the only new twist on the Vols’ offense. Tennessee can now attack the middle of the field, as evident by a couple of passes thrown to tight end Ethan Davis, who caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Dont’e Thornton also got in on the middle-of-the-field action when he caught a perfectly thrown pass by Iamaleava on a slant route in the first quarter.
The Vols altered offensive philosophy isn’t because its coaches have a new idea on how to move the ball. It’s because they have new players in place to do so. Athletic running backs and receiving tight ends were a hallmark of Josh Heupel’s offenses over the years. He finally has Tennessee Football at that point.
