Dylan Sampson becomes Tennessee Football's 20th 1,000-yard rusher
Last week Dylan Sampson broke new Tennessee Football’s single-season rushing touchdown record. Saturday night against Mississippi State, Sampson hit another milestone, becoming the 20th Tennessee running back in program history to go over 1,000 yards in a season.
Sampson gives Tennessee back-to-back 1,000-yard rushers. Jaylen Wright ran for 1,013 yards last season, becoming the first Tennessee running back to go over 1,000 yards since Jalen Hurd in 2016, when Hurd ran for 1,288 yards.
Sampson entered Saturday night’s game need just 20 yards to hit 1,000 and ran for 24 yards on four attempts on Tennessee’s first drive.
He broke the single-season rushing touchdown record when he ran for two scores in the 28-18 win over Kentucky last week, giving him 19 on the season. The previous record of 18 was held by Gene McEver in 1929.
Reggie Cobb held the modern record with 17 during the 1987 season. He set the modern record with in 12 games in 1987, finishing the season with 1,197 yards on 237 attempts and also caught three touchdown passes that year.
Dylan Sampson averaging 122.5 yards per game this season
Sampson finished the Kentucky game with a season-high 142 yards on 27 carries.. He ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns to lead Tennessee to a 24-17 win over rival Alabama three weeks ago.
He has rushed for 100 or more yards in seven of the first eight games this season, with the 139 against Alabama being a new season high. He had 138 at Arkansas, 132 vs. NC State, 124 vs. Chattanooga, 112 vs. Florida, 101 vs. Kent State and 92 at Oklahoma.
Sampson entered the Mississippi State game on pace for 29 rushing touchdowns in Tennessee’s 12-game regular season. He ran for 980 yards through the first eight games, averaging 5.7 yards per carry and averaging 122.5 yards per game.
Sampson has run for two or more touchdowns in six of seven games, too, with four against Kent State, three against Florida, two against NC State, Arkansas and Alabama and one against Oklahoma.
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Dylan Sampson up to 32 total touchdowns in 31 career games
He’s now up to 32 total touchdowns — 31 rushing, one receiving — in just 31 career games at Tennessee. Sampson has scored his 32 touchdowns in just 18 of his 31 games with the Vols.
Sampson had six touchdowns as a freshman in 2022 and seven more last season, while also catching a touchdown pass last season.
McEver holds Tennessee’s all-time career rushing touchdown record with 37 between 1928 and 1931. James Stewart holds the modern record 35 from 1991 to 1994.
Sampson is on pace to rush for 1,436 yards on 246 attempts, which would be an average of 5.83 yards per carry.
Travis Stephens holds the single-season rushing record with 1,464 yards in 2001. Stephens also holds the Tennessee records for attempts, with 291 in 2001, averaging 4.93 yards per carry.
Jay Graham holds the record for yards per game, averaging 130.7 in 11 games in 1995. Chuck Webb holds the record for average yards per rush, minimum 200 rushes, with 5.91 in 1989.
Sampson’s 139 yards against Alabama came on 26 attempts and included a long of 36 yards.
