Wright closing in on UT all time leading rusher

#51
#51
JCHateSteve said:
Sampson feels like he's always a step away from breaking one. It'll be running back by committee again. But I'm not upset about that after the last 2 years.

I think Heup has proven he can change things up based on what's working. Who would've guessed we would have such a dynamic running attack, with the passing game taking a back seat this year? Next year will probably look different again.
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I guessed :)
 
#52
#52
Crazy stat; Small is on pace to possibly break Henry's record, but he only has two rushing TD's in his career.
 
#53
#53
Where does he rank on our all time RB list? Is he top 10? Top 5? In the modern game, we've had Stanback, Simpson, Jones, Cobb, Webb, Stewart, Garner, Graham, Lewis, Henry, Stephens, Foster and now Wright. My point is that we are as much RBU as we were WRU, LBU or DBU

And for years OLU
 
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#56
#56
He could probably get it this year if he had 10-15 more carries per game. He's averaging something like 12 carries per game, 20-25 isn't bad for a #1 rusher.
 
#60
#60
VolForLife83 said:
Be nice to have him back next year.


The all-time record for rushing yards in a career at Tennessee is 3,078 by Travis Henry (1997-2000). That means that Wright is just 968 yards away from the all-time rushing record at UT. And he has a year of eligibility remaining.

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Didn't realize our record was so low. #250 all time is 3617 yards. Couldn't find anything that went lower. Shocking as many great backs we've had and wasn't that long ago most stayed 4 years in a run heavy era of football
 
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#62
#62
Our all-time rushing leader is lower on the CFB list is no one has ever been the man for 4 full years. Too much RB talent during most of those years for that one guy to carry the entire load. Our RB tradition is strong, but there has almost always been a line for Fr RBs to stand in.
Ron Dayne and Ricky Williams were handed the rock the first day they walked on campus. (Jalen Hurd was one of the few VOLS with the opportunity)

Small is underrated as usual. He is a good runner and tough to defend. Short and steady wins the race.
 
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#64
#64
VolForLife83 said:
Be nice to have him back next year.


The all-time record for rushing yards in a career at Tennessee is 3,078 by Travis Henry (1997-2000). That means that Wright is just 968 yards away from the all-time rushing record at UT. And he has a year of eligibility remaining.

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Regardless of what happens with Wright, I believe we can rest easy that Travis Henry holds onto the lead of # of kids produced. At least I hope he does-for Wrights sake.
 
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#68
#68
He’s probably gone. RBs need to get to the league asap. But you never know. A serious NIL deal and the push for a natty next year could catch his attention.
 
#71
#71
ButchPlz said:
Running back is a position where I fully understand the guys leaving early. There's only so much beating that position can take.
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Correct. Every RB has only so many hits before productivity begins to wane. Former Dallas RB Ezekiel Elliot has probably been the most obvious and recent example of this.
 
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#73
#73
ButchPlz said:
Running back is a position where I fully understand the guys leaving early. There's only so much beating that position can take.
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I will say UT balances out their carries which help getting through the season without a bunch of nagging injuries.
He's had 110 carries that's a little over 12 a game. Some backs are overused at over 20 a game.
 
#74
#74
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#75
#75
LAVol1 said:
Jim Brown = Derek Henry. Probably the only RB of his era that could make it big in today's game.
Best RB's I've seen: Bo Jackson followed by Earl Campbell
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People forget how dominant Earl Campbell was for 4-5 years.
He was the single most important player in the NFL. He and that great Oilers defense almost beat the Steelers in the playoffs twice during the Steelers Super Bowl great run.
Those Oilers teams got close to the Super Bowl twice, but the workload destroyed his knees.
1978 - 302 att
1979 - 368 att
1980 - 373 att
1981 - 361 att
1982 - 157 (9 game strike season)
1983 - 322 att
1984-1985 - 146 &158

Campbell ran like Wright. Barry Sanders ran like Sampson. Injuries can be luck of the draw, but Sanders took far fewer direct hits to the legs as well as far fewer runs straight up the gut. Campbell was a punishing runner who hit harder than his tacklers, pushed piles, and physically wore down a defense. He also developed spinal stenosis in 1978, it could have paralyzed him after any hit, had 5 back surgeries, and many knees surgeries and both replacements.

That made it look like he was getting stronger as the game went on, but he was just running through the weaker arm tackles as the defense lost strength (like a boxer whose strategy is to concentrate on punching his opponents arms; it looks like a losing strategy until his opponent has no punching power by the 5th round).

Campbell says players are too soft today and should play injured like he did. I am not so sure. He is in constant pain and recovering from painkiller addiction.

Sanders tore his MCL and his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and who knows how many concussions (Campbell too).
Sanders says his retirement decision was made because the Lions had shown no commitment to build a winning team around him, and injuries were also a concern.
 
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