KNOXVILLE — Tennessee is returning its entire offensive line and a 1,000-yard rusher in Tauren Poole, but coach Derek Dooley has stressed repeatedly the need for a consistent second option for his preferred two-back rotation.
“They’ve stressed it a lot because definitely Tauren last year carried the load for the whole team,” sophomore tailback Rajion Neal said after practice this past week. “I want to even say that [the coaches] said that he was the only back that didn’t have a supporting cast, so this year I’m fighting and I’m really trying and I want to be that second guy for Tauren and definitely help him and even push him for that first spot. T-Poole needs help, and that’s what I want to give them.”
But the speedy Neal has some serious competition for that spot from freshman Marlin Lane, whose performance in summer workouts created some buzz. Dooley said after Saturday’s practice that Lane has looked like the coaching staff expected he would when the 6-foot, 205-pound Lane signed with UT in February.
“You can tell he’s got very good elusiveness, he’s an instinctive guy, he’s tough, he loves football, he’s got a great passion for the game and [we’ve] been real pleased with him,” Dooley said. “We’ll see how he can sustain and see what his durability is as camp goes on. He’s shown everything we’d hoped he would show in the first few days.”
It’s easier as a running back, Dooley said, to play as a freshman than most other positions. Neal played quite a bit as a freshman last year, claiming the second back role during the middle of the season before a fumble against Memphis and a four-carry, minus-1-yard performance against Ole Miss knocked him out of the spot until the bowl game.