Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright is officially under the microscope. Two fumbles in two games will do that.
What are the Vols doing to coach Wright out of having a loose handle? The same thing they’ve been doing.
“You guys have seen our practice,” UT head coach Josh Heupel said on Thursday when asked about ways to remedy Wright’s lack of ball security. “We start with ball security every single day and paying attention to the details of it and securing it will be critical for him. It’s critical for us.”
“The ball is everything and we’ve got to go get it when we don’t have it, talking about defensively and special teams. Offensively, you’ve got to take care of it with everything that you’ve got. I expect him to do a much better job here as we go through the rest of the season.”
Wright had better do so. Tennessee coaches probably don’t have a long leash with Wright moving forward. Hence the conundrum. Statistically, Wright is Tennessee’s best tailback – by far. The sophomore is averaging 6.1-yards per carry. Jabari Small is averaging 3.5 yards per carry.
That one statistic doesn’t mean that Wright is better than Small. However, it means he is a big part of what Tennessee wants to do in the running game. Another fumble might change that plan, especially with freshman running back Dylan Sampson showing signs of promise.
Wright has an early season excuse that is starting to wear thin. He was limited in preseason camp with a quad injury that prevented him from participating in full contact for the majority of practice.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Heupel said. “It’s one of the things you’re concerned about as you get ready for (the season), a guy that hasn’t had a bunch of physical contact during the course of the lead up to the first ball game.
“There were some things that we did in game week that a lot of our other skill guys didn’t do trying to help him prepare for it, but there’s nothing real until it’s live,” Heupel said. “He’s played a lot of football for us and done a really good job of taking care of the football at times and expect him to do that the rest of the way home.
Home is the wherever Tennessee will end up at the conclusion of the season. The bench is where Wright will end up if he doesn’t hold onto the ball.
