Sampson gets his ‘needed’ performance with Vols in Citrus romp
Dylan Sampson passed his first test as Tennessee’s starting running back with flying colors, rushing 20 times for 133 yards in last Monday’s 35-0 trampling of Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
The biggest downside for Sampson is having to wait so long for his second start.
“A game like this does make you wish you could play another game,” Sampson said at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium after the Volunteers concluded a 9-4 season, “but this will make us want to work even more going into next season. The goal is to be playing at this time next year and going forward to another game.
“As soon as we finished this game, I said, ‘It’s time to go to work.’ I think everybody is ready to go to work.”
Tennessee faced the Hawkeyes with Sampson making his debut in his sophomore finale, with freshman Cameron Seldon as his backup and with freshman Nico Iamaleava getting his first start at quarterback. Those depth-chart promotions transpired after sixth-year quarterback Joe Milton III, senior running back Jabari Small and junior running back Jaylen Wright opted out of the bowl.
Sampson set a career-high with his 20 carries, but it would be Iamaleava accounting for all three rushing scores, reaching the end zone from 19, 3 and 2 yards out — not that Sampson was envious about the way that transpired.
“I can’t think about it like that,” Sampson said with a laugh. “It happens. You’ve got to go down the whole field, and somebody’s got to get the touchdown.”
Seldon didn’t score either despite rushing 13 times for 55 yards.
Iamaleava also had an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end McCallan Castles against Iowa, but Sampson had his own four-score day in last September’s opening 49-13 rout of Virginia in Nashville with three on the ground and one via a reception. Sampson had a unique first month of the season, not even getting in the 29-16 loss to Florida in Gainesville before returning the next week with an 11-carry, 139-yard performance against the University of Texas at San Antonio.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder from Baton Rouge rushed for 604 yards and 5.7 yards per carry this season, and he spent all year on the team’s leadership council, which certainly will make him popular with advice seekers in the months leading up to the 2024 season kickoff.
“I don’t want to make the mistake of feeling that it’s all on me, because that could go wrong,” Sampson said. “It’s time to motivate people and help them grow out of their shell and be a stronger voice, because we’re losing some leadership pieces. There will be a lot of voices that emerge who are ready to help.”
Tennessee should expect to finish this season ranked after entering the Citrus Bowl at No. 25, and the Vols should begin the fourth year of the Josh Heupel era ranked as well. The 20 triumphs the past two seasons are the most for the program since 2003-04, and Iamaleava, Sampson and sophomore edge rusher James Pearce Jr. are providing Tennessee reasons for offseason excitement after their Orlando performances.
Iamaleava received bowl MVP honors and the most attention, but Sampson’s showing was every bit as meaningful on several fronts.
“I was excited for this game,” Sampson said. “I needed this game. I wanted to be in that role, and the coaches needed to see me get multiple carries so I could prove I’m not a carries-here, carriesthere guy. My goal is to be that No. 1 running back, whatever form and fashion that is.
“This was a good step.”
CITRUS VIEWERSHIP
Despite Tennessee’s dominance last Monday, the Citrus Bowl on ABC drew 6.8 million viewers and was the most-watched bowl game outside of a New Year’s Six contest.
The two bowls that were shown opposite the Citrus Bowl — LSU’s 35-31 comeback topping of Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl on ESPN2 and Oregon’s 45-6 hammering of Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl on ESPN — each drew 4.6 million viewers. The Fiesta Bowl is a New Year’s Six matchup.
Only four Tennessee games under Heupel have drawn a larger viewership — the 27-13 loss at Georgia in 2022 (13.1 million on CBS), the 52-49 win over Alabama in 2022 (11.6 million on CBS), the 31-14 win over Clemson in the 2022 Orange Bowl (8.6 million on ESPN), and the 34-20 loss at Alabama this past October (8.0 million on CBS).
THE LANDING SPOTS
Former Tennessee safety Wesley Walker, who began his career at Georgia Tech before transferring to the Vols, revealed Monday that he will return to the ACC by committing to Louisville.
Walker is the ninth former Tennessee player who entered the NCAA transfer portal last month and has found a landing spot, joining defensive end Tyler Baron (Ole Miss), cornerback Warren Burrell (Georgia Tech), guard Mo Clipper (Charlotte), safety Jack Luttrell (Arizona), safety Tamarion McDonald (Ole Miss), guard Addison Nichols (Arkansas), cornerback De’Shawn Rucker (South Florida) and cornerback Doneiko Slaughter (Arkansas).