Running back Dylan Sampson’s growth from freshman year to now being a reliable, every-down back.
Knoxville, Tenn – Through the first five games of the season junior running back Dylan Sampson has rushed for more than 100 yards and scored multiple touchdowns in every game but one.
Through those five contests, Sampson has rushed for 589 yards on 91 carries for 12 touchdowns.
This only begins to shed light on how effective Sampson is. He’s essentially rushing for more than 100 yards while averaging 18 carries a game.
His success begins with his want to.
“I think any back coming out of high school is used to hitting all the big runs. Just getting used to taking it for a dirty three, dirty four, that keeps the chains moving. I think that’s where I’ve gotten better, in between the tackles. Just knowing not everything is going to be a home run,” said Sampson.
Even despite the Vols offense sputtering with explosive plays with its wide receivers, Sampson has continued to provide the offense just that.
Running backs coach De’Rail Sims put it simply.
“I think number one is that he’s just doing his job. He’s trusting his read, he’s trusting the offensive line. When the big play is there, he’s aligning himself to be able to do that. I think you see that in terms of him being comfortable in the offense, him being comfortable with the offensive line and then seeing the play as it’s getting ready to develop and give himself a chance. Once he gets into the third level, it’s on him from that standpoint. He’s done a phenomenal job,” said Sims.
On the road against Arkansas, Sampson provided that same spark to the offense.
On the sixth play of Tennessee’s drive in the third quarter and Sampson’s second carry, he exploded for 53 yards before being tackled by former Vol Deniko Slaughter at the Arkansas 4-yard line.
He’d punch it on the next play like he has so many times this season.
“He’s showed it every day. He showed it in that situation of him continuing to get stronger as the game went along. He did a phenomenal job in terms of jump-starting the offense in the second half. That’s him in a nutshell in terms of what he wants to do. He wants to lead by example, and he wants to be the spark plug that gets the offense started as well. He did a phenomenal job of that,” said Sims.
Maybe his greatest area of growth has come in his power and ability to create yards after contact.
“I think it’s the want-to factor. It’s all about his understanding. We talk about it as a program being pad plus two in everything that we do, and he’s living it by example. He’s doing a really good job in terms of if nothing is there, let him drive forward and get two yards. At the end of the play, we talk about finishing all the time. You get judged by how many yards you gain after contact, whether that’s you having to run through a defender or him making a defender miss. I think it’s the want-to factor of it that he’s going to drain this for every yard that he can get and put them in a critical situation offensively to a manageable down and distance. I think that portion of it is just the want-to factor for him,” said Sims.
