Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel has proven he can be flexible. Heupel hunkered down with multiple tight ends last season when his offensive tackles couldn’t protect the edge. There’s reason to believe that could be a trend and not just a one-time fix.
Let’s begin with this. No offense to former UT tailback Dylan Sampson, who was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year last season, but the 5-foot-11 and 200 pound tailback wasn’t quite suited to being a part of a ground-based, power offense. Sampson was great at creating angles and beating defenders with his speed, but he wasn’t going to bowl defenses over.
Enter Peyton Lewis.
Lewis is 6-1 and 212 pounds. The sophomore is a much more powerful tailback than the Vols had last season with Sampson and DeSean Bishop, who is 5-10 and 208 pounds. Bishop returns this season, but the Vols would surely love to see Lewis emerge and give them some more pop out of the backfield. It looks like that may be the case.
“Peyton has had a great spring,” Heupel said. “He has a lot more comfort and understanding in the scope of what we’re doing and it should be that way in year two. He grew throughout the course of last year too, but he’s done a really, really good job. That’s with the ball in his hands, but that’s also playing without the ball.”
In other words, Lewis’ pass protection has improved. It doesn’t really matter how good Lewis is as a runner if he can’t help solidify a pocket for quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Pass protection is an absolute must for the Vols, even if they’re more conservative as they were at times last season. Lewis is a big part of that.
Tennessee’s tailbacks are the final hurdle for a defender looking to knock Iamaleava around. The first hurdle is an offensive line that has to replace four starters from last season. A lack of experience there could certainly put more on the Vols’ tailbacks. However, Heupel seems confident about that unit up front.
“I like where the group is going,” Heupel said. “There is competition. They understand that, day-in and day-out with what is going on out on the practice field and how they are getting graded. Today, I thought there were times where we executed well in the run game. I don’t think it was a complete day where we executed to the level that we’re capable of as an entire unit for the entire day.”
That needs to change before the Vols hit the field against Syracuse on Aug. 30. Tennessee was 10th in the SEC in sacks allowed with 2.3 allowed per game. The lack of pass protection undermined the Vols, especially early last season.
As good as Lewis might be as a runner, he won’t be hitting the field if he can’t help improve the pocket designed to protect the Vols’ most important player. There might be nothing more important than protecting Iamaleava this season in order to see just what the second-year starter can do.
