This is how you overcome adversity! In the first half of the Tennessee Volunteers game against Kentucky, star running back Dylan Sampson coughed up a fumble and Josh Heupel was not happy with him. Nope, not one bit.
Heupel ended up benching Sampson for nearly the rest of the first half, waiting until the final drive with about 30 seconds left to let his stud RB back into the game. It was eye-opening and fans weren't happy about the decision.
Well, Sampson has wasted no time getting back on his coach's good side. In the third quarter, the Tennessee defense forced a fumble, setting up the Vols' offense in a great spot to take the lead. They did just that, with Sampson scoring on a passionate touchdown run. No one was going to bring him down on this carry:
Dylan Sampson is the Tennessee offense. pic.twitter.com/CA2KzvOrCJ
— Barstool SEC (@SECBarstool) November 3, 2024
Dylan Sampson scored an impressive TD to give the Vols the lead
That touchdown is Sampson's 18th on the year, which ties the single-season record for the program. Barring an absolute shocker, Sampson is going to break that record, potentially even against Kentucky on Saturday night.
In the first half, he couldn't have been pleased with his performance and Heupel benching him probably lit a fire under him. Sampson is one of the best running backs in the country and he wanted to make sure that people didn't forget about that.
Sampson was jacked up after his TD run and no one can blame him for that. His Michael Jackson 'Thriller' dance only made things that much better for him. Sampson has posted fumbles in back-to-back games, which needs to be cleaned up, but the message Heupel sent him vs. Kentucky was something the star RB took in stride. There's no drama here whatsoever. At the end of the day, Sampson is the most important offensive player for this team and he's going to keep playing like it.