Tennessee's success hinges on the powerful running game led by Dylan Sampson. Ohio State's defense faces the challenge of containing Sampson's explosive runs and the Volunteers' spread offense.
It has developed new and inventive ways to throw the football over the years, and the evolution of football in that same timeframe has placed more and more emphasis on the passing game. But that’s not the root of Tennessee’s spread offense , not in 2024. The Volunteers’ attack is planted in the ground game with running back Dylan Sampson . “He's a smart runner,” Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon said on Tuesday. “He's patient, but he's got a good feel for his blocks.
And I mean, he's a great player. He won SEC Player of the Year for a reason. So it's a big challenge for us and we're up for that challenge. We enjoy being able to look for players to try to stop and have a real focus on in-game. They're going to do a good job with him. We're going to have to do a better job.” Behind Sampson, spacing, tempo, a mobile quarterback and the ability to keep defenses honest with run-pass option plays, Tennessee ranks No. 9 in the country in rushing yards per game (232) and No. 26 in yards per carry (5.1). Slowing that element of the Volunteers offense will be the key to Ohio State’s success on defense in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday. “They spread you out from sideline to sideline and they create seams in your defense and combine that with tempo,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. “You have to get lined up fast. It's a challenge, but we got the right guys to do it, and I'm confident in our players. They've been working hard and confident in the plan.” Sampson has racked up 1,485 rushing yards this season at a clip of 5.8 yards per carry with 22 touchdowns to lead the SEC in both rushing yards and scores. Equally as impressive as those cumulative statistics is his consistency. Sampson’s hit 100 rushing yards in 10 of Tennessee’s 12 games this year, and one of the two contests in which he didn’t was against UTEP, when he was removed early to rest after racking up 77 yards on just 11 carries
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS OHIO STATE BUCKEYES COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF DYLAN SAMPSON RUNNING BACK SPREAD OFFENSE
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