The Vols player who could be in for a huge 'Jalin Hyatt-like' breakout game against South Carolina
Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is one of the biggest stories in college football season. Hyatt has become of the most dangerous playmakers in the sport. NFL legend Chad Johnson tweets about him regularly. The junior Vols wide receiver is also starting to pop up in the first round of mock drafts. Hyatt's essentially […]
Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is one of the biggest stories in college football season.
Hyatt has become of the most dangerous playmakers in the sport. NFL legend Chad Johnson tweets about him regularly. The junior Vols wide receiver is also starting to pop up in the first round of mock drafts. Hyatt's essentially gone from a backup wide receiver in 2021 to a household name in 2022.
It wasn't until the Alabama game — when Hyatt scored five touchdowns and finished with 207 receiving yards — that the South Carolina native became the most talked about wide receiver in college football. That game catapulted Hyatt into the spotlight.
I think there's a decent chance another Vols player experiences something similar this weekend against South Carolina.
True freshman running back Dylan Sampson looked absolutely electric last weekend against a Missouri defense that had been playing pretty well entering their matchup against the Volunteers.
Sampson rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries while showing impressive burst.
Sampson hadn't been used much since the LSU game earlier this season after he missed a blocking assignment against the Tigers that resulted in quarterback Hendon Hooker taking a hard hit.
Tennessee's usage of Sampson against Missouri suggests that the staff feels good about his improvement in pass protection. And I would expect to see him on the field quite a bit against South Carolina.
And if that's the case, I think he could be in line for a monster game.
South Carolina's run defense has been pretty bad this season. The Gamecocks gave up 374 rushing yards in their loss to Florida last week. Gators running back Montrell Johnson had a season-high 161 rushing yards against South Carolina (6.7 yards per carry).
For the season, the Gamecocks are giving up 197 yards per game on the ground (No. 114 in the nation).
South Carolina's poor run defense combined with Gamecocks defensive coordinator Clayton White's comments about limiting big plays means there should be plenty of running room for Sampson this week.
Folks often forget that Tennessee's offense is centered around the run. The big plays get the attention, but it's the Vols' running game that makes the offense work.
And we could see that running game as its best this weekend against the Gamecocks.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
