Tennessee’s Javontez Spraggins and John Campbell Jr. didn’t make life easy for a particular Chattanooga defensive lineman on Saturday.
With Tennessee closing in on the checkerboards during the game’s opening drive, Spraggins and Campbell were tasked with moving the pile to clear a one-yard path for running back Dylan Sampson.
As the saying goes, Spraggins and Campbell made sure to play through the whistle. The Vols’ right guard and right tackle, respectively, both ended up getting their hands on Chattanooga defensive tackle Quay Wiggles and drove him eight yards through the endzone.
Sampson flipped the ball back to the referee after the touchdown declaration and Spraggins and Campbell were still driving their defender backwards like a sled at practice.
ESPN’s SEC Network cameras gave a few great angles of the linemen if you know what you’re looking for. Check them out by pressing the video clip below.
More from RTI: The Long Wait For Nico Iamaleava Is Over… The Vols’ Quarterback Is Here
Campbell and Spraggins are two of the reasons why analysts are so high on Tennessee’s 2024 offense, especially after their 69-3 season-opening win over the Mocs on Saturday.
The two return to Tennessee from the 2023 roster to give the Vols more experienced continuity on the offensive line. Combine that with Third Team All-American Cooper Mays at center, a returning rotational player with Andrej Karic at left guard, and former SEC All-Freshman Team selection Lance Heard at left tackle, and you’ve got some pretty stout protection for star quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
Tennessee’s offensive line is also a big part of why the Vols tallied the second-most rushing yards in the SEC this week (excluding LSU, who hasn’t played at the time of this publication). Tennessee combined for 304 rushing yards on Saturday against Chattanooga with Dylan Sampson, the SEC’s leading rusher after one week, gaining 124 of those in a three-touchdown performance.
