Tennessee's two longest runs this football season have been reeled off by quarterbacks Joe Milton and Hendon Hooker.
Milton and Hooker were also the two leading rushers for the Volunteers (1-1) during last Saturday's 41-34 loss to Pittsburgh, combining on 14 carries for 103 yards. Should Tennessee first-year coach John Heupel opt for more designed runs for quarterbacks beginning with Saturday's noon kickoff against Tennessee Tech in Neyland Stadium, or are the risks too inherent?
It's not yet known whether Milton will compete against the Golden Eagles (0-2) due to a hit he sustained last weekend while getting sacked, and top running backs Jabari Small and Tiyon Evans are nursing injuries as well.
"I think you have to be smart, and you have to be opportunistic," Heupel said. "It's situational football. There are times when you're going to have to play 11-on-11 and you've got to be part of the quarterback run game. You try to do it in a way where you're limiting their exposure.
"They're hopefully out in some space where they've got a chance to protect themselves and get down."
Milton has rushed 19 times for 98 yards and two touchdowns this season, while Hooker has nine carries for 49 yards. Combined, they have rushed 28 times for 147 yards, or 5.3 per carry.
Remove the eight sacks from the equation, and Milton and Hooker have a combined 20 carries for 193 yards (9.7 per carry), with Milton's 54-yard run and Hooker's 23-yarder against Pitt serving as the biggest gains.
"Both of those guys have done a good job when the ball has been in their hands as a runner," Heupel said. "Obviously some of the turnovers there - a couple of those inside the pocket are things that we have to continue to clean up, but for us, that dimension has helped us out the first couple weeks."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.