Those that wondered if Tennessee tailback Dylan Sampson was built to be a featured back can rest easy. The junior has proven he can handle the load.
Sampson ran the ball on all eight plays when he and the Vols were trying to put pressure on Oklahoma with a score just before halftime in the Vols last game before a bye week. It worked. Sampson found the end zone with less than two minutes left in the second quarter. That touchdown put the Vols up 19-3 and placed Oklahoma in a hole the Sooners couldn’t climb out of.
When asked about the drive, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel didn’t seem all that surprised.
“First of all, he’s always been an elite competitor, been able to reset and go play the next play,” Heupel said. “I do think his offseason this year, continuing to add size and strength to his frame, has allowed him to handle a situation a little bit different than his freshman year would’ve played out.
“He’s got great trust in the guys in front of him. We have great trust in him, and on that drive, obviously he was a difference-maker during the course of that drive.”
Said Sampson, “You obviously get tired, but you get in that mode and you know you’re in the zone. You just want to keep going.”
Sampson is the leading rusher in the SEC with 112 yards gained per game on the ground. He has also caught seven passes for 70 yards. Sampson already has 10 touchdowns in just four games this season. That places him in elite company and on a great pace to set an all-time Tennessee record.
Halfback Gene McEver holds the all-time record for the Vols with 18 touchdowns in a season. McEver set that record in 1929. Former UT tailback Reggie Cobb is second in Tennessee history with 17 rushing touchdowns in a season in 1987.
With a bye week in the books, Sampson can make a run at the record beginning this week when Tennessee plays at Arkansas at 7:30 EST. Sampson said there’s something “extra” when he senses the end zone is within reach. That extra something may just be his dedication to keeping himself in the game.
“I’m always trying to make them big plays, but…I really don’t want to get pulled out of the game,” Sampson said. “I want them to be able to hand the ball to me when we get down there and just put on for my team.”
There’s no reason to wonder about Sampson’s ability to carry the load for the Vols. The only thing to wonder about is how many touchdowns he can score this season.
