Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson has been legendarily good this season for the Vols. Running backs coach De’Rail Sims certainly noticed as much in Sampson’s last outing, in which he ran for 112 tough yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries to lead his team to a victory over the Florida Gators.
“I think you you see him consistently do that in the second half of games lately,” Sims said. “I think the thing about it is, he’s just going out there executing at a really high level. He’s doing a really good job of being able to feel the game.
“I think in the first half, he was feeling the game, but a lot of times you’re still trying to see how the defense is playing you from a structural standpoint. I think once you get in your groove in the second half, that’s when you see a lot of the the bigger plays start to happen, in terms of those four-yard runs and turning the ten-yard runs. So he’s doing a really good job.”
That’s an understatement. Sampson leads the SEC in basically every statistical rushing category, including attempts (118), yards (699) and touchdowns (15). The junior is averaging 5.9-yards per carry and is already on the verge of eclipsing halfback Gene McEver’s record of most touchdowns in a season, 18, which was set in 1929. On his current pace, Sampson could break that record this week when the No. 11 Vols host No. 7 Alabama in Neyland Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 EST.
“Watching it live is really, really good because I’m still in coach mode in that situation,” Sims said of a typical Sampson performance. “So it’s kind of like you’re seeing it and it’s happening and you want to cheer, but also at the same time, you’re still being critical in terms of the things that you’re seeing from that standpoint.
“When I go back and watch it that night, you actually get back and get to watch it as a fan at that standpoint, as well as being critical, but the deal is he’s doing a really good job and it all shows up from a practice standpoint. Then, his preparation in the meeting room and then in the walkthrough. What he’s doing is what he’s putting to work in and being able to do”
Sampson was always thought to be a gifted runner. However, some questioned his ability to adequately pass protect last season. Sims didn’t specify Sampson per say, but the coach said the Vols need to be better when asked to protect redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
“We gotta do a better job of finishing,” Sims said. “We understand who to go get. We just got to do a better job of finishing like at the end of the day.”
The Vols have been stymied at times on offense. Usually, that’s happened with a 3-3 defensive alignment that was successful in the Arkansas and Oklahoma game. That defensive scheme shouldn’t be as much of a concern this week.
“I think they’re a little bit different from a structure standpoint,” Sims said of the Crimson Tide, “and kind of the way that you see them on tape in terms of how they play. They they do a really good job going in and out of personnel groupings as well in terms of front formations.
“Then that defensive line is very, very athletic. Those linebackers fit in exactly the way that you expect them to be in, highly downhill guys that run to the point of contact and also do a really good job in coverage as well.”
Sims seemed respectful when he spoke about Alabama. However, he certainly didn’t seem scared.
“We’ve just got to continue to do a really good job from our standpoint, just understand what our assignment is and execute at a very high level and we’ll be fine,”
Sampson should be able to do that – and probably a bit more.
