Tennessee mustered an impressive finishing kick Saturday afternoon, cramming six scores into the final 23-plus minutes to convert a worrisome game against Missouri into a carefree romp.
In doing so, the offense showed a new wrinkle and showcased some fresh legs. The unit has done so much to get the No. 5 Vols (9-1, 5-1 SEC) to within one spot of the four college football playoff slots. Perhaps it has more to give as the stretch run continues at South Carolina Saturday night.
Of Tennessee’s two remaining opponents, the Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4) are the most threatening. They are among the nation’s best in special teams play and, since last season, have doubled their number of games scoring at least 30 points to six.
South Carolina dual-threat quarterback Spencer Rattler’s skill set is like Missouri’s Brady Cook. Cook amassed 323 total yards and threw two TD passes against the Vols last Saturday. In the end, their best defense against Cook was an overwhelming offense. For all threats, it’s their best deterrent and it might be getting better. Here’s some reasons to think so:
Dylan Sampson: The freshman rushed for a personal-best 98 yards against Missouri and averaged 12.2 yards for his eight carries. His longest run covered 42 yards. He took a handoff on the next play and scampered 15 yards. He later had runs of 20 and 10 yards.
All of Sampson’s carries came during UT’s late scoring surge. He put the leg drive in their finishing kick.
“I’m a competitor,” Sampson said. “I understand it from a coach’s perspective. You got two really good backs in front of you, that’s what I’ve learned from it. Sometimes, you might not feel all the way comfortable with putting a freshman in the game, but I just take that each week and learn from it so I can have the opportunity to start working my way in.”
In the process, he’s changing how he’s perceived.
“He is a young guy that continues to get better and we can have trust in,” UT coach Josh Heupel said. “He has really good vision and the ability to press holes, deliver blocks and get to open space.”
The running game: Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright are the two good backs Sampson was referencing. They combined for 106 yards and 20 carries against Missouri. Small’s longest run covered 26 yards while Wright’s was 19.
Wright, a sophomore, had a personal-best 35-yard run two weeks ago against Kentucky.
The trio of backs is adding more of a big-play dimension to an offense that runs on such strikes.
The playbook: Tennessee started its final scoring sprint last Saturday by lining up wide receiver Jalin Hyatt in the backfield and slipping him out uncovered for a 68-yard touchdown reception.
Hyatt said the play was added to the game plan as “something else we could throw out there.” He specifically credited offensive analyst Mitch Militello.
“The staff did a great job of coming back to that one,” Heupel said. “And it was time, I think.”
While the play wasn’t as unusual as tight end Princeton Fant’s TD pass against UT Martin last month, it did affirm that the coaches still are thumbing through their playbook.
Noteworthy:
-When asked on Monday whether he considered kneeling down rather than scoring the final touchdown against Missouri, Heupel said: “It absolutely went through my mind. I don’t know what the right thing to do is in that moment at the end of the day, but our guys continued to play football.”
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri, who has covered University of Tennessee athletics since 1988. He is a 2022 inductee to the Tennessee Sportswriters Hall of Fame. He can be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com.