Florida’s defense saw Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson throughout the Vols’ 23-17 win over the Gators on Saturday. Watching from the sidelines, Tennessee’s defenders couldn’t help but notice what the junior tailback was doing to the Florida’s defense.
“Fantastic,” linebacker Arion Carter said when asked about Sampson, who ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. “Great. Every time he touched the ball, you know he’s fighting for extra yards, getting all he can. It’s just he’s playing sound football and he’s playing complementary football to us on defense.”
Said defensive lineman Bryson Eason, “Man, I couldn’t agree more. I feel like has was running the ball with a purpose.”
Eason said that Sampson’s play was in line with his leadership during he week headed into the Florida game. It was Sampson who first called the Vols bye week before the Arkansas loss as “lackadaisical” which became a topic of conversation surrounding the Vols all week leading up to the Florida game.
Tennessee certainly wasn’t lackadaisical in its new short-yardage formation, which included included tight end Miles Kitselman and defensive end Jaxon Moi lined up in the backfield and another defensive lineman at tight end. Sampson scored twice with that personnel grouping during he game on Saturday.
“I think you put a little fear in the defense when we get in that big jumbo package,” Sampson said. “I know I’m getting positive yards every time we get in that, so I like it.”
The Vols were already considered a physical football team when it came to running the football. They’re even more so with the new jumbo package that was so successful against the Gators. Sure, the package had to surprise Florida, but that wasn’t the strength of utilizing he unit.
“Me personally, whether they saw that package in or not, I felt like I was going to get the touchdown regardless,” Sampson said. “But that, you know, it is definitely like they can’t even see me for real when they put everybody like that. So that’s fun.”
Sampson isn’t large. He’s listed at 5-foot-11, but that may be a bit generous. When he ducks down behind massive players like Kitselman and Moi, Sampson is nearly impossible to see, much less stop. Florida’s defensive players certainly noticed as much.
