KNOXVILLE — On an afternoon when Tennessee sixth-year senior quarterback Hendon Hooker gave Neyland Stadium spectators one last game to savor, freshman running back Dylan Sampson gave fans plenty of optimism for the future.
Sampson entered Saturday's game against Missouri midway through the third quarter and provided an immediate jolt with a 7-yard reception on his first play. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, would finish with eight carries for 98 yards and a touchdown as the Volunteers broke free from a 28-24 lead to demolish the Tigers 66-24.
"He provided us a spark," Hooker said. "He comes in with a great attitude day in and day out, and he brings great energy to the team. He works hard, and he's extremely smart.
"He's also an explosive runner, and when he gets into the open field, he is dangerous."
Sampson led the Vols with 62 yards on 13 carries in the 65-24 whipping of UT Martin on Oct. 22, a mismatch in which coach Josh Heupel had emptied the benches. In the two games that followed against Kentucky and Georgia, however, Sampson had one total carry for 1 yard.
"I understand it from the coaches' perspective, because we've got two really good backs who are in front of me who I've learned from," Sampson said. "They may not feel all the way comfortable putting a freshman in the game, so I take that each week and try to learn from it.
"I'm always waiting and ready to get my opportunity to get in a game, and that's when my time was called today. I had those two big runs that I felt generated some momentum, but we were all playing as one team."
Sampson had runs of 42 and 15 yards on a third-quarter drive that ended with Hooker's 2-yard touchdown pass to Princeton Fant for a 42-24 lead, and he had two carries for 17 yards on the ensuing possession that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Jaylen Wright.
Wright and Jabari Small combined on 20 carries for 106 yards, but Saturday was Sampson's day to steal the show.
"We had planned on playing him here in the last couple of weeks," Heupel said. "He's a young guy who continues to get better and that we have trust in. I think he's got really good vision and the ability to press holes and deliver blocks and get to open space. He was dynamic with the ball in his hands today.
"He played really good football."
Milton's moments
Vols backup quarterback Joe Milton III didn't make an appearance until the midway mark of the fourth quarter, but he went 3-of-3 passing for 105 yards and a touchdown in leading the offense to a pair of touchdowns.
"When he goes out there and starts showing that rocket arm off, it's amazing," Hooker said. "You can't do anything but stand there in awe."
Milton's yardage total nearly matched the 109 that Kentucky's Will Levis compiled in Saturday's 24-21 loss to Vanderbilt.
Tillman sidelined
Fifth-year senior receiver Cedric Tillman went through senior day ceremonies before watching the game from the sideline in his jersey and sweatpants.
"Ced could have played in this one," Heupel said. "It has nothing to do with the ankle. He'll be ready to go next week. In talking with him after warmups, we just felt it would probably be best to sit this one out."
Before the game, Tennessee officials announced that the only inactive players were redshirt junior cornerback Kamal Hadden and freshman quarterback Tayven Jackson.
Hyatt's drops
Jalin Hyatt certainly produced another big game in an already big season, but his seven-catch, 146-yard output could have been greater had the junior not dropped a pair of receptions on consecutive plays late in the first half.
"You end up coming into halftime, so Coach (Kelsey) Pope got with him, and I said something to him," Heupel said. "He's played enough football at a high enough level and is extremely confident, and he went out there and played well in the second half."
Odds and ends
Tennessee improved to 6-5 against Missouri, taking the series lead for the first time. ... Fifth-year senior left guard Jerome Carvin played in his 57th game, topping the previous school mark of 56 set last year by former safety Theo Jackson. ... Tennessee has set a single-season record with five games of 50 or more points. ... The Vols improved their all-time record to 865-409-53. ... Before Saturday, the most points the Vols had scored against a Southeastern Conference opponent transpired in the 65-0 blanking of Vanderbilt in 1994.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.