Tennessee can still beat Georgia even without quarterback Nico Iamaleava on the field on Saturday. However, they’ll have to play nearly perfect to pull off the upset against the Bulldogs. That means no turnovers, which hasn’t been the case lately.
The Vols haven’t been nearly as protective with the football as they were when they last made a run at the College Football Playoffs the last time around. In 2022, Tennessee turned the ball over just 11 times in the entire season. This year, the Vols have turned the ball over 12 times in just nine games.
Tennessee ranks sixth in the SEC in turnovers lost, which isn’t terrible, but anything more than perfection might undermine whatever chances the No. 7 Vols have to beat the No. 12 Bulldogs in Athens at 7:30 pm EST on Saturday.
There have been some good excuses for some of the Vols’ turnovers this season. Iamaleava, who has been listed as “questionable” for the game against Georgia, threw some interceptions when he was pressured earlier this season. He also fumbled the ball under the same sort of duress. Iamaleava also made freshman-like mistakes by throwing the ball into coverage earlier this year. That’s understandable given the fact that he is a first-year, full-time starter. However, the Vols have been plagued recently by a recent rash of turnovers that no one could have seen coming.
Superstar running back Dylan Sampson has lost the ball in three consecutive games after not losing a fumble in his previous 28 games with the Vols. That’s befuddling. How does Sampson, who is always striving for the most yards he can pick up on every run, make sure he doesn’t put the ball on the ground?
“The number one deal is understanding when you’ve drained it enough,” Tennessee running back De’Rail Sims said. “A lot of times you go back through and you look at the tape, a lot of those is he’s fighting for those extra yards. He still keep trying to churn.”
The problem is that’s one of Sampson’s greatest strengths. There’s a fine line between fighting for extra yards and putting the ball in jeopardy. Now, Sampson has a reputation for fumbling. Opposing players are going to do everything they can to rip the ball out of his hands when he’s striving for just a little more yardage.
“Guys are sending that club and they’re trying to pull the ball out.,” Sims said. “When you drained it out enough, it’s time to go down so that they can’t get those shots on the ball. It comes down to our ball mechanics too, like we practice every day. Just make sure when we’re in the pile on the football, do a really good job having your pads over and continue to keep protecting it.”
Again, that’s easier said than done during an actual play. Sampson’s greatest strength may be his ability to maximize runs. It not only shows up on the stat sheet when his yards are tallied. It also shows up when his players need a boost. His relentless running style is a boost for his teammates as he knocks down all-time UT records like bowling pins.
Tennessee receiver Squirrel White was just one of the players that recently cited Sampson’s drive as one of the reasons why the Vols have played so hard throughout the course of the season.
“I think it’s huge,” Sims said of Sampson, who returned to the Mississippi State game despite a leg injury he suffered in the first half against the Bulldogs. “Everybody sits here and they look at Samp as the leader, not only as an offense but as a team leader as well.
“When he gets hot, the whole team rallies up. When he makes a big run, the whole entire sideline becomes energized. He’s a spark plug for the entire universe on offense. Sometimes, when you need that little uplifting and not just him on the field in terms of playing, but it’s also on the sideline too, being able to go uplift his teammates when things are kind of in a little rut right now, when sometimes teammates may be trying to make a play sometime and they’re pushing a lot.
“He’s always there to calm them down. So I think, holistically, he does a really good job of being that for the team.”
As long as he doesn’t put the ball on the ground.
