Offensive line paving way for Vols' success in run game
Cooper Mays felt like he needed to be a leader.
Late in the second half against Kentucky last Saturday night, the Tennessee senior offensive lineman provided some motivation to sophomore running back Dylan Sampson before taking the field to protect the Vols' lead.
Sampson, who stepped in for Jaylen Wright in the fourth quarter, rushed for touchdown and made a number of critical, drive-sustaining runs to help Tennessee win, 33-27.
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"I just kind of took it upon myself," Mays said. "These last few games, I felt like my leadership has been needed a little bit more. Kind of just to motivate guys on the sideline before drives and make sure we're trending in the right direction near the end of the game. I think we've done really well. Dylan did a nice job closing out the game for us and I think he was big in the ending."
Mays missed the first four games of the season with injury before returning to the lineup at center for the South Carolina game.
Tennessee's offense as a whole seemingly benefited from his experience and communication, as evidenced by his interaction with Sampson in what was a back-and-forth game at Kentucky.
Leadership has been a point of emphasis for Mays, who admits he isn't always vocal. When he does speak up, players listen.
"I think kind of really my biggest why in all of this is so all of my teammates believe in me and have confidence in me," Mays said "I'm not a big, huge vocal guy, I don't just talk all the time. I think people kind of listen when I do speak about stuff like that. I'm glad people have confidence in me and kind of trust what I say and take it to heart."
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Mays and the rest of Tennessee's offensive front is leading in other ways, too.
The five players have been paramount in the Vols' vaunted run game, paving the way for the backfield trio of Wright, Sampson and Jabari Small to averaged an SEC-best 221.9 yards per game.
Wright, who totaled 120 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries vs. Kentucky, also leads the league with 6.9 yards per carry.
"We take pride in it every day in everything we do," offensive linman Javontez Spraggins said. "We talked a lot last year about how we were a great passing offense, now it's different. Being the best run offense, it's just whatever they put in our face we're going to take that and grind with it every day. Us being the best at the run game right now is what we plan on doing for the rest of the year. It's not going to change from this point."
"It's huge for us. I think that's kind of the identity we wanted to build here," Mays added. "It's been satisfying to see the running game do what it's doing. Just super happy with the guys that are behind us."
The offensive line is playing its best football at the right time. The Vols open the final month of the regular season against UConn on Saturday (noon ET, SEC Network), then follow it up with games at No. 14 Missouri and vs. No. 1 Georgia over the next two weeks.
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The success running the ball has come despite the moving pieces the offensive line has had to deal with because of injuries, forcing the coaching staff to rotate and plug in players at different positions throughout the season.
It hasn't slowed them down yet.
"It's just how it is every day as a group. We're a family, this team is a family. Every day we go into the meeting rooms, we have each other's back," Spraggins said. "It's not just a bunch of individuals in there doing work, it's a bunch of guys in there that want to help each other, that want to be better, that want to play the game, that want to help their families in the future, and I want to be something.
"We just take pride in that stuff, it's not one single person. Everybody in that room has a job and if one guy goes out, the next guy better be ready to do their job."
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