Tennessee running back’s coach De’Rail Sims met with the media on Tuesday morning following another impressive Dylan Sampson performance.
The first year running back’s coach discussed Sampson playing through an injury, the challenges that Georgia’s defense presents and much more. Here’s everything Sims said on Tuesday.
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On what Tennessee freshman Peyton Lewis has done to have earn snaps and play well in recent weeks
“He’s done a really good job in his preparation, in terms of going out attacking practice. We got competition every day in practice and he’s done a really good job of maximizing his reps that he’s gotten in practice. And in certain situations, when he gets in the game, he’s maximizing his opportunities too. And the confidence is growing the more and more he gets out there. And you can see that he’s playing right now.”
On how impressed he has been with the physical and mental toughness of Dylan Samson, how hard it is to get a second back in the game when the starter is so productive
“I’ve been very impressed with him, No. 1, the stamina that he’s been able to produce, especially in this stretch that we’ve been going on after the bye week. The mental part, you see that in the classroom. The physical part of it, that’s why he attacked the weight room the way that he did this summer in terms of building his body up. And you see the durability now, in terms of being up there and be able to take multiple carries in the series and then the game.
“The thing about it too is, once he gets hot, it’s kind of hard to pull him off. But also at the same time, understanding that he has to take some series off and that type deal to keep his legs fresh so we ain’t sitting up here wearing him out.”
On keeping Dylan Sampson confident after some recent lost fumbles
“The No. 1 deal is understanding when you’ve drained it enough. A lot of times you go back through and you look at the tape, a lot of those is he’s fighting for those extra yards. He still keeps trying to churn. The guys are sitting there trying to club at it and they’re trying to pull the ball off. So understanding it when you drain it out enough, it’s time to go down so that they can’t get those shots on the ball. Then it comes down to our ball mechanics too, like we practice every day. Just make sure when we’re in the power, arm on the football, do a really good job having your pads over it and continue to keep protecting it.”
On a young running back like Peyton Lewis going into a road game, the importance in pass protection
“The No. 1 deal is is the focus portion of it. Doing your job, not letting the crowd affect you. Understand that I got to be locked in on what my assignment is on this play. Understanding what the physicality, especially this league is going to be like on the road, in terms of how I got to go in the attack, how I got to go in and fit. And those are things that he’s done a good job of up to this point. But just understanding, don’t let that become bigger than what it is. Just concentrate on doing your job and then you’ll be OK.”
On the confidence Dylan Sampson brings Tennessee’s offense, even if the starting quarterback isn’t on the field
“I think it’s huge. Everybody’s sitting here. You know, No. 1, they look at Samp as the leader. Not only as an offense, but as a team leader as well. When he gets hot, the whole team rises up. He makes a big run, the whole entire side and it comes to energize. He’s a spark plug for the whole entire unit on offense. And I think sometimes when you need a little uplifting, and not just him on the field in terms of playing, but it’s also on the sideline too. Being able to go uplift his teammates when things are kind of in a little the red right now. And sometimes teammates maybe trying to make a play, sometime they’re pushing a lot, he’s always there to calm them down. So I think holistically, he does a really good job of being there for the team.”
On where Tennessee running back Cam Seldon is in his development
“I think with him, he’s growing every day. I think that’s the No. 1 deal. He had his setbacks early in the season. But I think with him, his development is good. And you see him getting comfortable again. You see him getting any games right now. He’s getting comfortable. He’s maximizing his reps that he’s getting right now. We’re going to need everybody in that room as the season continue to progress and kind of roll along. So the No. 1 deal is continue to keep attacking this deal one day at a time and then seeing how your role progresses throughout the games.”
On Tennessee’s mindset going into a hostile road environment
“I think No. 1 is just the focus portion of it. Making sure that you’re being able to get locked in, attention to detail, make sure I’m focusing on doing my job. And you can’t make it bigger than what it is. It’s the same situation when we’re playing at home. Our home-field advantage in terms of our crowd is really, really good. So when you go on a road, you kind of expect that same situation. So we sit up here and we make sure we’re doing really good job from a preparation standpoint. But also when it gets into the to the hang of it, man, make sure I’m locked in on doing my job, and then I can focus in one play at a time.”
On if Dylan Sampson is fighting for more yards because that area of his game — running strong and breaking tackles — has developed so much
“I do. I think it’s a habit portion now, that we always talk about as a program going ‘pad plus two.’ And I think he’s doing a really good job of finishing off his run. So a lot of times when that’s already ingrained in you, it’s kind of hard to understand of in this certain situation, I’ve drained it out enough, let me go ahead and get down so that I don’t put the ball in jeopardy.”
