Tennessee proved once again on Saturday that they are a second half team, going into halftime down 10-7 to the Kentucky Wildcats and coming back to win 28-18. Their never give up attitude, coupled with a solid performance from quarterback Nico Iamaleava and some record-breaking touchdowns by running back Dylan Sampson, secured the victory in front of a crowd of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium.
Sampson’s second touchdown of the night broke a Tennessee record that has stood for almost 100 years. That touchdown was his 19th of the season, breaking a record set by Gene McEver in 1929. Sampson finished the game with 172 rushing yards, his seventh 100-yard rushing game this season.
Sampson’s 19th score was a group effort.
“During the play, I thought they were going to blow it dead at some point because I couldn’t see anything,” center Cooper Mays told the Vol Report of Sampson’s touchdown. “I was in the middle of it, so I couldn’t really see, but I felt like we were stalling out or maybe going a little bit backwards… and then I was really like, oh my God, they’re going to blow it dead and I’m going to be just dead exhausted this next play, you know?
“Like, that’s the most tiring, tiring thing you can do is push the pile, especially when you’re in the middle of it,” Mays continued. “We watched the film back and you see Nico run in and get in on it, and then you see Bru coming off from the sideline where he ran his route. He’s already getting in on the pile and you see just everybody helping.”
Sampson’s 32 career touchdowns put him close to tying the school record of 37, set by, you guessed it, Gene McEver. He’s scored multiple touchdowns in seven games this season. But, is Sampson getting the national recognition he deserves?
“He’s a good leader, like really good leader,” Mays said of Sampson. “And he just does stuff the right way. And you know, he just walks. Walks what he talks. So that’s about all you can say about it.”
But Sampson isn’t being mentioned as a Heisman contender. It’s tough for players and fans alike to comprehend why that is.
“Obviously he’s got a lot of touchdowns,” Mays noted. “I’m sure he has a lot of yards too. I don’t know about his yards per carry or anything, but he has a lot of touchdowns. Does anybody else have that many touchdowns?”
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty has one more than Sampson, currently at 20 for the season and is breaking team records as well. But, Boise State doesn’t play in the SEC. How much should that be taken into consideration when weighing Heisman candidates?
“No fault of (Jeanty’s) own,” Mays said. “He’s a stud. He really is. I’ve seen a lot of film on him… but he can’t control his competition. It’s not his fault that (Boise State) is not as elite. Definitely better competition here (in the SEC).”
As mentioned, QB Iamaleava had a stellar game against Kentucky. After a few shaky starts, he seemed more poised this time out.
“I think he’s playing pretty comfortable,” Mays said of his quarterback. “I think that comes with us playing better. I mean, we didn’t protect him very well for a good stretch, probably a couple of weeks. So, that’s on us. But I think we’ve been doing better. I think kind of us, as an offense, have been doing better. And, you know, it’s easy to be more comfortable when things are going right.
“I’ll just say the biggest thing is (Iamaleava) is kind of figuring himself out… I mean, there’s nothing like playing your first season of college football. You got just so much stuff going on in your head, so many outside voices, outside noise, and then you got the actual game within itself. It’s a tough, tough thing. So, I’m sure he’s figuring out a lot about himself and getting more comfortable.”
Hopefully that level of comfort continues as Tennessee prepares to host 2-7 Mississippi State next Saturday night at home. The Bulldogs are coming off a 45-20 win over UMass, but remain in the bottom of the SEC standings.
