Tennessee’s running back room looks to be getting healthy at the right time.
According to Tennessee’s SEC-mandated injury reports from Wednesday and Thursday, it appears as though the Vols are getting backup running back DeSean Bishop back just in time for the regular season finale on Saturday and beyond.
Bishop suffered an injury in the first half of the Kentucky game on Nov. 2 and hasn’t seen the field since. Bishop was a regular on Tennessee’s previous injury reports but looks good to go for this Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt.
In Bishop’s absence, Tennessee turned to freshman running back Peyton Lewis to shoulder the backup work behind Dylan Sampson. Lewis has racked up 144 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries over the last four games.
Prior to his injury, Bishop totaled 372 yards and three touchdowns on 54 carries while playing in each game until his injury against Kentucky.
With Bishop coming back, Tennessee now has three experienced players to sort through in the running back room. Add in the scrambling ability of quarterback Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee has a lot of pieces to work with on the ground for the final stretch of the season.
More from RTI: Tennessee Football Preview – Vols Look to Punch Playoff Ticket Against Rival Vanderbilt
The stakes couldn’t be higher for Tennessee heading into the rivalry game from Nashville on Saturday afternoon. With a win, the Vols will punch their ticket to the 2024-2025 College Football Playoffs. A loss, though, would be detrimental for Tennessee’s case as too much would be left up to the teams around them to feel comfortable.
Vanderbilt presents a middle-of-the-pack rush defense through 11 games this season. Quite literally. The Commodores sit at No. 8 in the 16-team conference, giving up an average of 123.5 rush yards per game this season. Tennessee, meanwhile, has the SEC’s second-ranked rush defense, giving up an average of just 98.8 yards per game on the ground.
Tennessee primarily used the duo of Sampson and Bishop before turning to Sampson and Lewis in Bishop’s absence. But with the experience that Lewis has gained over the last few weeks, combined with the return of the X-Factor ability from Bishop, Tennessee should have more options to work with moving forward.
We’ll see just how much action DeSean Bishop gets in his return to the field on Saturday but there’s no doubt this is big news for the Tennessee running back room with postseason play on the horizon.
Vanderbilt will host No. 8 Tennessee at Noon ET on Saturday afternoon in Nashville, TN. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live, on-site coverage of the game from FirstBank Stadium.
