What is going on with Tennessee Vols RB Dylan Sampson?
One of the stories that emerged from the Tennessee Vols' 29-16 loss to the Florida Gators on Saturday night was the absence of sophomore running back Dylan Sampson. Sampson didn't see any action for the Vols in the loss to Florida. Instead, Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small received all of the handoffs (except for one […]
One of the stories that emerged from the Tennessee Vols' 29-16 loss to the Florida Gators on Saturday night was the absence of sophomore running back Dylan Sampson.
Sampson didn't see any action for the Vols in the loss to Florida. Instead, Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small received all of the handoffs (except for one that went to wide receiver Bru McCoy).
After the game, Sampson posted this graphic to Instagram (it's worth pointing out the no one knows if the graphic on Instagram has anything to do with UT football).
Sampson saw 13 carries in Tennessee's win against Virginia in Week One. The Louisiana native ran for 52 yards and three touchdowns while also catching a nine-yard touchdown pass against the Cavaliers.
After Sampson's strong performance against Virginia, he received just four touches in Tennessee's 30-13 win against Austin Peay.
So what's the reason for keeping Sampson, who has displayed an ability to be electric in the open field, on the bench while Tennessees struggles to create explosive plays?
That's the question that everyone is seemingly trying to answer.
And while I'm sure some fans are looking for some sort of compelling answer that includes a specific reason for Sampson's lack of carries over the last two games, the true answer might be a bit boring.
Just from looking at the stats, it looks like Sampson is simply a victim of Tennessee not running the ball as much against Austin Peay and Florida as they did against Virginia.
Against the Cavaliers, the Vols gave their running backs 42 carries. Sampson received 13 of those carries (Wright had 12 and Small had 13).
In the win against Austin Peay, Tennessee handed the ball off 29 times. Wright and Small received 13 carries each while Sampson received three caries (he also had a reception).
Tennessee handed the ball off 24 times against Florida with Wright getting 16 carries and Small receiving seven carries.
It appears that the flow of the game, and likely preferring Wright and Small in pass protection over Sampson (especially in the Swamp), led to the sophomore not seeing as much action over the last two weeks.
Game plans get thrown out the window sometimes. And that was probably the case against Florida. It's certainly possible that there are other reasons for Sampson's lack of playing time against Austin Peay and Florida. But for now, the numbers in the box score suggest that Sampson's depleted role in the offense is mostly due to the lack of running plays the Vols have been able to run the last couple of weeks.
Sometimes the easy answer is the obvious answer. And maybe that's the case with Sampson.
Update:
Josh Heupel was asked about Sampson's usage on Monday, below is his answer.
"He's been a little bit nicked up. He was available. Had plans of having him in the rotation. And I think on both sides of the football, the flow of the game, in particular in the first half, probably we didn't rotate the way we anticipated going into the football game. And probably as much as needed to."
There’s a big truth that half of the Vols fan base needs to hear before moving on to the UTSA game
There’s a big truth that half of the Tennessee Vols fan base needs to hear before moving on to the UTSA game
Featured image via Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
