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For Tennessee's backfield, it's all about space

The game of football is always evolving.

Several years ago, defensive football became all about sub-packages, and the counter offensively has been no-huddle attacks. Over the last few years, we have seen the growing emergence of RPO’s (run pass options) as a way to slow defenses down.

Another growing trend in offensive football is the continued emergence of the running back’s involvement in passing game. It’s no longer just about blitz pickups and screen passes. Running backs have become more than just adequate about catching the ball out of the backfield.

In the NFL last year, Alvin Kamara had 81 receptions, Christian McCaffrey had 107 and Saquon Barkley had 91. In fact, the NFL had 10 players listed as running backs who had over 60 catches in 2018. There was only nine 1,000 yard rushers.

In the SEC last season, Texas A&M’s Trayveon Williams had 27 catches and Georgia’s D’Andre Swift, under Jim Chaney’s playcalling, had 32 catches to lead all running backs in the SEC in 2018.

In Chaney’s first year in Knoxville, Montario Hardesty, Bryce Brown, and David Oku had 37 total receptions. In 2013, Arkansas’ tailbacks had 37 receptions. In 2015 at Pitt, tailback Qadree Ollison rushed for 1,121 yards and was the team’s fourth-leading receiver. In his first year at Georgia, Sony Michel 22 catches, good for fourth on the team.

The point — Chaney’s tailbacks will be a factor in the passing game.

Last season, Ty Chandler led the Vol backs with 19 receptions. However, all 19 catches came in the month of October, highlighted by seven catches against South Carolina. By the end of the year, Chandler didn’t have a catch in 7 of 11 games.

But that was pre-Chaney and his arrival is why the backs have spent plenty of time this summer working on their hands.

“He's been working on it during the offseason,” running backs coach David Johnson said of Chandler. “He's been on the indoor, on the jugs machine, daily, all through spring, but that's one of the things that he has to improve on. If we can get the ball in his hands in space, he's really explosive.

“His speed. You are talking about a guy who is 4.3, just get the ball in his hands and he can kind of our run people. That’s one of the biggest things is getting him out in space where he can make one person miss and he can take it to the house.”

Tennessee’s offensive backfield doesn’t have a featured back. At least not yet. There’s not a guy who’s going to tote the rock 20-30 times a game. They have a versatile room of backs who offer different skill sets. Chandler has great speed, freshman Eric Gray has lots of wiggle. Ty Jordan and Jeremy Banks have more power. It makes for an interesting position and gives Chaney ways to be creative with one or multiple backs on the field at the same time. But that flexibility doesn’t work unless the personnel can play in space in the passing game.

“You want versatile guys,” Johnson said. “The NFL wants guys who can obviously pass protect but also get out of the backfield and run route,” Johnson said. “That’s where the game is going now. You have to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield.

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