Two things typically associated with Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel are throwing it all over the yard and scoring a lot of points.
The once Oklahoma quarterback was a Heisman runner-up in his playing days and has coached the likes of Drew Lock, Dillon Gabriel, Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton in just the last decade, all of which were drafted into the NFL.
But to the surprise of many, the narrative that Heupel’s offenses are pass-heavy to the same tone of the late Mike Leach is completely false. Leach was known for being the pioneer of the Air Raid offense, breaking passing records at Texas Tech, Washington State, Mississippi State and his first major coordinator job at Oklahoma in 1999 where he coached Heupel.
Tennessee has produced an NFL draft pick at running back each of the last two seasons, a streak that will likely continue into next season thanks to the likes of DeSean Bishop and Star Thomas.
The Vols’ two-headed monster at tailback has combined for 125 rush attempts, 63 for Bishop to 62 for Thomas, at 6.4 yards per carry this season. Last week against Arkansas the two backs combined for 24 of Tennessee’s 40 carries, including a career day for Bishop who totaled 146 yards on the ground.
Peyton Lewis has also emerged as an offensive weapon for Tennessee. The true sophomore has five rushing touchdowns on the season, piling on two in last week’s win over the Razorbacks.
“He’s prepared,” Tennessee running backs coach De’Rail Sims said of Lewis. “Like all those guys do a really good job from a preparation standpoint, but he stayed in tune, he stayed locked in.”
Stopping the run proved a challenge to Alabama’s defense earlier in the season, but held Missouri star back Ahmad Hardy to just 58 yards in Saturday’s 27-24 win. In last year’s home win over the Crimson Tide, Tennessee star Dylan Sampson rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 5.3 per carry. If Alabama wants to slow down Tennessee’s high flying, quick temp offense, they must first stop the run.
Jam Miller has been a focal point of the offense since returning from injury. He leads the team in rushing after only three games, all against ranked opponents.
Late in the Missouri game, Miller went out with what was later deemed a concussion, leaving his status for Saturday up in the air.
If Miller is unable to go, head coach Kalen DeBoer and the offensive staff will look to the likes of Kevin Riley and Daniel Hill. Both Riley and Hill scored for Alabama against Missouri.
Riley is currently second on the team in both rush yards and attempts, cementing himself as the second string back prior to Jam Miller’s return versus Georgia. He is sneakily fourth in receptions as well, notching his only touchdown on a choice route versus Mizzou.
Daniel Hill, a stout 6-foot-1, 244 pound bruiser, played the majority of the offensive snaps after Miller exited the game. One such was a critical receiving touchdown on fourth and goal that put Alabama up 27-17 in the fourth.
“[Daniel’s] a really bright player,” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. “He’s very good at pass protection. He’s got incredibly good hands.”
Week 1 starter Richard Young, freshman AK Dear and Dre Washington have also logged carries for Alabama this season and could see action if Miller is unable to go.
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