Jaylen Wright triumphant in return to Nissan Stadium

As Tennessee prepared for Virginia, the memories of Wright's last game inside Nissan Stadium lingered; His push through the Purdue defense and the ball he extended across the goal line for what would have been the go-ahead touchdown in overtime in the 2021 Music City Bowl, controversially wiped out because it was determined his forward progress had been stopped.

The play ended a promising season in heartbreaking fashion but nearly three years, 12 wins and an Orange Bowl victory later, Wright powered the No. 12 Tennessee offense to a convincing 49-13 route of the Cavaliers on the same turf on Saturday.

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"I actually did (think about the Purdue game)," Wright said. "Last time I was here, that happened. I feel like I kind of bounced back from it. That game is in the past."

Wright didn't reach the end zone in this trip, but he did carry the Vols (1-0) offense, rushing for a game-high 112 yards on 12 carries and averaging nearly 10 yards per carry.

On an afternoon where Tennessee was sluggish for nearly a half, Wright was the tone-setter taking the ball on the first five plays, four of which were rushes, including one for 14 yards that set up a Joe Milton III touchdown pass to Dylan Sampson.

"Just trusting the process, trusting everything that I put in in the offseason," Wright said. "Being patient and when I see a seam, I hit it."

WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel talks win over Virginia

Wright showed flashes of his big-play abilities at times in the previous two season, but turnovers hindered him.

Following the Vols' win at LSU last October, Wright became a more consistent piece, giving the ball up just once in has last eight games. The version of himself he displayed against Virginia on Saturday is a product of the corner he turned a year ago.

"Just putting in the work," Wright said. "I expect to do things like that because you put in the work in the offseason. When you work, hard work pays off. Just go out there and be detailed about everything and everything will work right."

"Jaylen Wright, I thought ran as physical as he has," Heupel added. "The things that we saw in training camp, I thought you saw today doing a great job of hitting holes, running through arm tackles, doing a good job on the third level too."

WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee football players talk win over Virginia

As much as Wright proved, the running backs room showcased a capable rotation.

Sampson scored four touchdowns and Jabari Small who has shared first team carries with Wright hit his stride in the second half, grinding out nearly 70 yards on 12 carries and all three backs averaged more than four yards per carry.

For a Tennessee team that led college football in nearly every offensive category in 2022, the Vols' showed how balanced they can be with a deep backfield.

"We push each other every single day," Sampson said. "It's fun to have that competition because you've always got to be at your best. We all want to be the guy that gets in the end zone and makes the good plays, which makes us even better. On the flip side of that, We're not selfish. We help each other out and celebrate with our brothers.

"You never know when you've got to lean on your brother...Having that competition with Jabari and Jaylen just makes us compete at our best."

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