5 Things We Learned From Vols’ Bowl Win

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Jan 2, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jalen Hurd (1) gets past Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Bo Bower (41) for a 29-yard touchdown in the first quarter of their 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Hurd’s Name Will Be Common Place On ESPN In 2015

Vol fans already know how good Jalen Hurd is going to be.

Iowa fans know this too.

And next season, the rest of the country will know.

Jalen Hurd has consistently shown this season just how talented he is. From his back-breaking catch and run on fourth down against South Carolina, to his bruising runs against the Hawkeyes, the Nashville native proved his five-star status as a high school player was more than justified.

Hurd finished his true freshmen season with 899 rushing yards and 122 of those came against Iowa (with the majority of those yards came in the first half).

If Hurd had played entire games against Chattanooga and Vanderbilt, he would have certainly surpassed 1,000 rushing yards this season.

The scary thing for Tennessee’s 2015 opponents is that Hurd did all of his damage behind an offensive line that was still figuring it out. Not to mention that Hurd himself was still figuring it out as the season went along.

There’s little doubt that Hurd, as long as he avoids injury, will gain more than 1,000 yards in his sophomore season. His performance against Iowa, a game in which he averaged more than seven yards a carry, gave us a glimpse of what we can expect from the talented running back in 2015.