Given that Tennessee leads the nation with 559.3 yards per game, it’s hard to criticize the offensive attack of the Volunteers.
Still, they do want to be able to run the ball Saturday at LSU, and junior running back Jabari Small wants to be front and center in leading that charge. Tennessee’s average of 193.5 rushing yards a game is still behind last season’s clip of 217.8, but the Vols rushed for 227 yards and 5.4 yards per carry in their 38-33 win over Florida on Sept. 24.
“The O-line did a good job of giving me seams to run through,” Small said this week in a news conference. “My main focus was just getting downhill and hitting the hole. In the SEC, those holes close pretty quickly.”
Small had season-highs of 19 carries and 90 yards against the Gators. The 5-foot-11, 213-pounder out of Briarcrest Christian in Memphis has 44 carries for 184 yards (4.2 yards per rush) and four touchdowns this season.
His performance against Akron on Sept. 17 consisted of just two carries and an upper-body injury during his second rush, which sidelined him for the remainder of that game.
“He has been good without the ball in his hands and in pass protection,” Vols coach Josh Heupel said. “He has been good as a receiver when we’ve asked him to. I thought last week was probably his most physical in terms of running, putting his pads down, and continuing to move the pile and getting plus-two after contact.
“We have great trust in him and expect him to have a huge part of this game.”
Sophomore Jaylen Wright leads Tennessee with 55 rushes for 256 yards (4.7) and four touchdowns, while sixth-year senior quarterback Hendon Hooker is third with 35 carries for 175 yards (5.0) and three scores. Hooker had 13 carries for 112 yards against the Gators, which included a 44-yard run.
LSU has the Southeastern Conference’s fourth-best rushing defense, allowing 109.2 yards per game, with Tennessee ranking third in that category at 97.8.
Brian Kelly’s No. 25 Tigers represent the third ranked foe Tennessee has faced, with the Vols having already downed No. 17 Pittsburgh and the No. 20 Gators. Tennessee likely will face six ranked teams this regular season with Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia down the road.
“I’ve learned to embrace it,” Small said. “It’s how Tennessee is. We play the best teams every year. Nothing is easy about our schedule, and nothing is easy about how we win.
“We have to earn everything. I’m excited. It’s another challenge.”
Going in style
Tennessee will wear its “Smokey Grey” uniforms for the first time in the Heupel era inside a sold-out Tiger Stadium.
“We’re excited, and those things look amazing,” senior safety Jaylen McCollough said Tuesday, “but the main thing is the main thing, and that’s going down there to win in Baton Rouge.”
The Vols will be wearing their “Smokey Greys” away from Neyland Stadium for the first time since dumping Nebraska 38-24 in the 2016 Music City Bowl.
Tempo vs. noise
Operating at a fast pace has multiple benefits, and that includes the potential for taking opposing crowds out of the game.
“You don’t have the ebb and flow like when the crowd knows that the huddle is breaking and can start building up and all that,” Vols quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle said. “If you’re pushing your tempo and you’re playing ahead of the chains, it does help with that.”
Tennessee is averaging 2.97 plays per minute after averaging 2.93 during the regular season a year ago.
Praising Hooker
Hooker has followed his sensational 2021 season with a sizzling start, leading the SEC with a 183.73 efficiency rating and leading the nation with 10.6 yards per attempt.
“Hendon is playing at an extremely high level right now, and he’s earned everything he’s getting,” Halzle said. “That guy puts in more time and preparation than anyone I’ve ever been around, and you’re seeing all that pay off.”
Burrell’s absence
McCollough was asked Tuesday what the defensive back room was like following the announcement that senior cornerback Warren Burrell was out for the season.
“A lot of guys are sharing that leadership role,” he said. “Warren is still in there and talking to the young corners and coaching them up like he’s still playing. There are a lot of guys leaning on each other in that room.
“We’re a close-knit group, and we’ll be fine.”
Making an impact
Freshman linebacker Elijah Herring out of Murfreesboro Riverdale has adjusted quite nicely to the next level, playing in all four games for the Vols and collecting four tackles, two sacks and a quarterback hurry.
“Everything is earned,” linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary said, “and he earned a spot when we go into our 4-3 package to be the Sam (strongside) linebacker. That’s kind of his role right now. He’s still growing as an every down Mike (middle) linebacker, and some of the youthful mistakes still show up, which is to be expected.
“He plays the right way. He plays with energy, and he’s getting better every week.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.