Dylan Sampson understands the dynamic as a freshman running back.

With two experienced backs in front of him, Sampson has used his first season in the program to learn from Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright while waiting for a significant role in Tennessee's offense.

His number was called in the second half of the Vols' game against Missouri on Saturday, though, and Sampson made the most of it.

Sampson tallied a career and team high 98 yards on eight carries and a touchdown. He averaged more than 12 yards per rush and broke out a 42-yard run at one point. The performance was key in Tennessee pulling away from the Tigers in the second half of a 66-24 win at Neyland Stadium.

"I'm a competitor," Sampson said. "I understand it from the coach's perspective, but you got two really good backs in front of you, that's what I learned from it. Sometimes, you might not feel all the way comfortable with putting a freshman in the game, but I just take that each week and learn from it so I can have the opportunity to start working my way in."

Sampson has certainly worked towards the kind of game he had on Saturday.

He joined the program as a three-star prospect from Geismar, Louisiana last June and saw the field early in the season, moving into the No. 3 spot in the backfield behind Small and Wright.

Sampson combined for 133 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries in games against Akron, LSU and UT Martin, but tallied just one rush for 1 yard versus Kentucky two weeks ago and didn't carry the ball at all in Tennessee's loss to Georgia.

For Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, the plan to feature Sampson as a bigger part of the offense had been weeks in the making.

"I planned on playing him here the last couple of weeks, and in some respects, more than he has gotten opportunities to," Heupel said. "He is a young guy that continues to get better and that we can have trust in. He has really good vision and the ability to press holes, deliver blocks and get to open space. He was dynamic with the ball in his hands today. He played really good football."

Sampson was among the highlights of a historic offensive showing by Tennessee. The Vols turned in a program-record 724 total yards — with 264 yards coming on the ground.

Those numbers came as no surprise to Sampson. He was aware of what he and the offense is capable of doing, and with Tennessee working towards a College Football Playoff berth, putting up similar numbers in the next two games would be more than enough to impress the selection committee.

"It just sounds like something we do day in and day out," Sampson said. "We have to be the best offense in the country, so that's naturally the standard. If that number isn't like that, then we are doing something wrong."

*****

– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.

– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.

– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @TMansfieldMedia, @JNichols_2121, @ByNoahTaylor, @TylerIvens, @RealTBannerman.