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Tennessee football: Five key Vols to watch for at South Carolina

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) gator chomps to the crowd during the second half of a game between the Tennessee Vols and Florida Gators, in Neyland Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Tennessee defeated Florida 38-33.Utvsflorida0924 03106
Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) gator chomps to the crowd during the second half of a game between the Tennessee Vols and Florida Gators, in Neyland Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Tennessee defeated Florida 38-33.Utvsflorida0924 03106 /
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Nov 27, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jaylen Wright (20) runs into the end zone during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jaylen Wright (20) runs into the end zone during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /

Running back. Sophomore. Jaylen Wright. Pick Analysis. 3. player. 839. Scouting Report

5’11” 205 pounds

It’s hard to overstate how bad South Carolina is at defending the run. They are No. 113 in the nation, allowing over 192 yards per game, and they allow four and two-thirds yards a carry, down at No. 109. Only the Auburn Tigers, Vanderbilt Commodores and Texas A&M Aggies are worse among SEC teams.

On the other side, Tennessee football relies heavily on the run. Even if it’s not working, Josh Heupel sticks to it for his passing game to take off. With Jabari Small banged up, that means this game screams for Jaylen Wright to have a historic performance. We’re talking about potentially 150 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

Wright has 124 carries for 598 yards and eight touchdowns on the year, just under five yards a carry. Part of why his average is lower than five yards, though, again, is Heupel’s offense and the way he sticks to the run even if it’s not picking up lots of yards so he can set up the big plays.

Against the Missouri Tigers, Wright became more of the feature back with Small banged up, and he and Dylan Sampson will likely be the standout players in this one. However, Wright is the one likely to get the bulk of the carries, so he is poised to rack up huge numbers.

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