There are times that even Superman could use a little help. That’s what the Vols are hoping for when running back Dylan Sampson takes the field on Saturday when the Vols play the Georgia Bulldogs.
Sampson has set just about every record one could imagine as one of the most productive tailbacks in the nation. Still, he might not be remembered as a truly elite player without some postseason success, which the Vols are hoping for this season. However, no one is asking Sampson to play every down for the Vols. He’s been backed up by redshirt freshman DeSean Bishop this season until recently when Bishop was sidelined by a lower-body injury.
That injury opened the door for freshman Peyton Lewis, who may be the fastest player on the team and also happens to be at least 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds. Lewis was a highly rated prospect when he came out of Salem, Va., but he didn’t have an early impact for the Vols after dealing with a pelvis and shoulder injury before the season.
Lewis was cleared just before fall camp, but the Vols needed more certainty at tailback, so Sampson and Bishop got the call. Now, Lewis might be in line to take up more of the load.
“I think just the attention to detail,” Sampson said when asked what could make Lewis a standout player after he ran for 44 yards on 14 carries against Mississippi State last week. “He’s willing to learn, still kind of figuring it all out, but the want-to is there. He shows the effort in practice and in the meeting room. He’ll continue to grow and get better.
Lewis, in his new, expanded role, hasn’t yet been tested against a road crowd. He’s ascended the Vols’ depth chart in home games. That won’t be the case on Saturday when No. 7 Tennessee hopes to upset No. 12 Georgia. The game is fraught with challenges for a young player.
“I think it’s probably just the noise,” Sampson said of the challenges that Lewis will face this week. “…but a lot of it could just be the build up probably to the week. If you stay as calm and composed as you can be and you work through your mechanics and you just stay in tune to your assignment, it shouldn’t affect you, but you know it plays a big factor.”
Lewis and Sampson will also have to face a Georgia defense that ranks sixth-best in the SEC in rushing defense, allowing 111 yards per game. No, this isn’t the kind of elite defensive front that the Vols have faced before when teeing off against Georgia, but it’s still pretty darn good.
“They they do a good job just holding a point and kind of play a lot in that three-down front,” Sampson said, referring to the kind of defensive front that has given the Vols’ fits earlier this season. “They do their job well, not letting offensive linemen be able to create space….The backers do a good job running to the ball laterally.
“Safeties fit downhill. We’re more in tune to the (tackle) box, so that’s probably what I can speak to the most, but they do a good job, being in that spot and being aggressive.”
No, these aren’t the Bulldogs of the recent past, the ones that won back-to-back national championships under head coach Kirby Smart, but they’re still pretty good. That will be a test for the Vols, Sampson and whoever backs him up as Tennessee tries to beat Georgia for the first time since 2016.
