Josh Heupel impressed by running backs in second scrimmage

The Tennessee Volunteers are gearing up for the Orange & White game on April 15, where there will be plenty of excitement in Knoxville. Head coach Josh Heupel has been preparing his team all spring and for the second time, was able to conduct a scrimmage. The next one will be in front of a crowd at Neyland Stadium, looking for standouts.

For Heupel, the running back room was a standout in the second scrimmage. When speaking to the media afterward, he named three guys who were impressive and all for different reasons. While Heupel is going to have a pass-heavy offense as a play-caller, having capable running backs can pop up in crucial moments.

“I thought the running backs as a group did some really positive things,” Heupel said. “Dylan Sampson made some people miss, did a great job pressing double teams. Cam Seldon did a really nice job running the football, good job taking care of it. DeSean Bishop. There were a lot of really good things from that running back room in particular.”

Of the three mentioned, Sampson had the most production on Rocky Top last season. He was the team’s fourth-leading rusher with 397 yards and six touchdowns on 58 attempts. Heupel listing his name off first is impressive, especially when mentioning double teams.

Even so, as any head coach would, Heupel is wanting to watch the film to get a better understanding. Rarely does anyone want to give a full analysis without being able to review the scrimmage. But to his naked eye, everything in the run game seems to be sailing smoothly.

“Watching the video will tell the true story,” Heupel said. “I did think in general they did a good job on the first and second level and created some space. All of those pieces play off of each other. The offensive line take on double teams good in their identifications.

“I thought the tight ends did a really good job, some of the second level things that they were asked to do. And the running backs ran hard. They ran with good pad level.”

Tennessee was able to rush for just under 200 yards per game, good enough for fifth in the SEC. All of the praise came from Heupel without mentioning last year’s leading rusher, Jabari Small. An impressive running back group is beginning to take shape in front of our eyes.