There are plenty of questions surrounding Tennessee’s offense, but one thing seems certain: The Volunteers are going to lean on their running game.
“We’re going to have some big people on the field because I think it’s really clear what they want to do to you — they want to give it to that great back and pound it behind a real big offensive line,” UF coach Urban Meyer said.
That great back is junior Tauren Poole, who leads the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards with 272. He opened the season with 110 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries against Tennessee-Martin and followed with 162 yards and a score in Saturday’s loss to Oregon.
UF hasn’t had much trouble stopping the UT ground attack in recent years. During the Gators’ current five-game win streak in the rivalry, they’ve held the Vols to fewer than 100 rushing yards four times.
The last seven games in the series have gone to the team with more rushing yards, a message that isn’t lost on the players.
“We can’t let them run and pierce our defense,” UF linebacker Brandon Hicks said. “We feel like no team can come through our defense and just run it down our throats. We feel like that’s not going to happen at all.”
Poole has other ideas.
In the first quarter against Oregon, he ran for 111 yards, making his presence felt on the game’s first play with a 31-yard run and following with carries of 39, 14 and 23 in the Vols’ first four possessions.
Poole’s early success comes after waiting on the bench behind the likes of Arian Foster, Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown for two seasons, and he has taken the reigns of Tennessee’s ground game with authority.
“That’s just been my whole life, being patient about everything,” said Poole, who described his playing style in similar fashion. “My opportunity came, so I just want to make the most of it, continue doing that and learning to be the best back I can be.”
The Vols will count on him to set the tone rather than relying on quarterback Matt Simms, who’s in his first year as a starter. Against the Ducks, Simms was 15 of 29 for 151 yards and an interception.
Simms has been happy to watch Poole loosen up defenses, but he’s quick to point out that Tennessee’s offensive line — which starts two freshman and a sophomore, and has three starters measuring 6-foot-6 or taller — deserves credit.
“I think a lot of people are losing the sight that our young offensive line has done a great job of giving him that opportunity to have those big plays,” Simms said. “A few times in the Oregon game, if you watch, Tauren doesn’t get touched until about 20 yards downfield.”
