Vols know the importance of keeping Dylan Sampson involved, expanding his role

Tennessee didn’t go to Florida three weeks ago with a game plan that left sophomore Dylan Sampson as a mere bystander on the sideline. In fact, as running backs coach Jerry Mack said Monday, the third or fourth possession was going to belong to Sampson. 

The problem, though, was that the Vols never got that far into their game plan. 

After Tennessee took a quick 7-0 lead at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, the Gators scored 26 straight points to lead 26-7 at halftime. 

“You go back and look at the game the first half, I don’t even think we had really 20 plays or so,” Mack said Monday while speaking at the Knoxville Quarterback Club. “And that dictated a lot.”

What it dictated was Tennessee trying to play catchup through the air. The Vols ran 30 times in the game for a season-low 100 yards. Jaylen Wright had 16 attempts for 63 yards. Jabari Small ran seven times for 35 yards and quarterback Joe Milton had five rushes for six yards.

“The reality of what happened,” Mack said, “was we got behind a little bit and we felt like we were gonna throw the ball a little bit more. So with that aspect, you know Sampson, he’s about 195ish (pounds), somewhere in that range. So we wanted put guy in the game like Jaylen Wright, like Jabari who would have a chance to maybe be better in pass protection. 

“And that was really the biggest thing. That’s really the main reason, and really the only reason, that (Sampson) didn’t play. If it would’ve been a situation where it was just a regular game, he was actually lined up to have the third or fourth series in the game.”

Dylan Sampson in four games: 397 total yards, 7 touchdowns

At this point, though, it’s become clear that Sampson is too good for No. 19 Tennessee to keep off the field, regardless of what the score or situation is. He has 36 rushes for 248 yards and has caught five passes for 80 yards. He has a team-high seven touchdowns, with six on the ground and one through the air. 

He’ll have to be a factor when the Vols (4-1, 1-1 SEC) host Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, CBS). The Aggies lead the SEC in rush defense, giving up just 84.0 yards per game, while Tennessee leads the league in rushing, averaging 231.2 yards.

“Matchups are gonna be really important,” Mack said. “Like how can you get a guy like Dylan Sampson with one step on a linebacker or how can we get a matched up on a guy that doesn’t play a whole lot sometimes? But at the same time, you still got Jabari, still got Jaylen Wright and those guys can do some different things as well. 

“So right now the key is to try to find ways to continue to incorporate Sampson into the game plan. He’s always going to have a series or two in the first half and in the second half where it is just his series just for the simple fact the way we rotate guys.”

Sampson had a flying start to his sophomore season against Virginia on September 2, when he rushed 13 times for 52 yards, caught one pass for nine yards and scored four total touchdowns.

He had just three carries for eight yards a week later against Austin Peay. After not playing at Florida, he carried 11 times for 139 yards, caught one pass for 20 yards and scored two touchdowns against UTSA.

Sampson had nine carries for 49 yards, two catches for 42 yards and scored a touchdown against South Carolina last week. 

No. 19 Tennessee vs. Texas A&M, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

On Monday Mack was asked if Sampson will be more involved in the pass game moving forward. The Vols lost senior wide receiver Bru McCoy to a season-ending leg injury against South Carolina.

He said if he gave away too much of the game plan publicly, he might be sidelined himself. 

“(It’s) just making sure that we do do a good job of making sure that Dylan is involved in the game plan more than anything else,” Mack added. “I do think like his skillset allows him to go on the perimeter. Obviously, we have situations with injuries … there’s a chance you can see a lot of different things. 

“Not only just (Sampson), you can see Jabari doing some different things as far as one the perimeter because they do have his skillset.”

Just like Tennessee’s three backs split carries, they’ll split catches, too. 

“All those guys do a really good job of catching the football,” Mack said. “We’ve incorporated a lot more screen plays, a lot more touch balls on the perimeter to all the running backs and the receivers. So getting those guys incorporated a lot more, not just Dylan Sampson but all those running backs is extremely important.”