When Tennessee rushed for 253 yards during last Saturday night’s 33-27 triumph at Kentucky, it was easy to praise Jaylen Wright’s 120 yards and 10.9 yards per carry or Dylan Sampson’s 52 yards in the fourth quarter.
Volunteers offensive linemen aren’t often in the spotlight, but they certainly don’t mind sitting atop the Southeastern Conference’s rushing charts with the calendar having flipped to November.
“It’s huge for us,” senior center Cooper Mays said this week during a news conference. “That’s kind of the identity we wanted to build here, and it’s been satisfying to see the running game do what it’s doing.”
The No. 19 Vols enter this weekend’s homecoming contest against Connecticut averaging 221.75 rushing yards a game, which ranks seventh nationally. The Vols rank ninth with 5.53 yards per carry, with each of those averages leading the league.
“We take pride in that every day,” senior right guard Javontez Spraggins said. “We talked a lot last year about how we were a great passing offense, and now it’s different being the best run offense. Whatever they put in our face, we’re going to take that and go out every day.