23 carries for 96 yards, 2 TDs
You could really give the whole run game a helmet sticker here. To be fair, this unit should have. been elite given Akron’s defensive front, but they were, and you can’t ignore when teams do what they’re supposed to do. Tennessee football torched the Zips on the ground for 238 yards and five touchdowns, including one by third-string quarterback Tayven Jackson.
The Vols did all of this even after Jabari Small got hurt the second play of the game, and Small’s profile as a power back was more fitting against Akron’s weak defensive front. Dylan Sampson had a breakout game with eight carries for 57 yards and two touchdowns, including an epic dive for the end zone after a mini-option play, which Josh Heupel never runs.
We should give a shoutout to the offensive line too for doing what they were supposed to do. Still, Jaylen Wright was the best player in the run game. Wright had to take on Small’s role, and he had to do so despite fumbling each of the last two games, so a lot was working against him.
Well, he responded with two touchdowns and nearly 100 yards rushing. Early on, Wright had to be the workhorse to get things going for the Vols, and he was able to do just that. Although the average isn’t there, you can’t deny the results, and his play is what Heupel needed to make his offense take off.