After it was initially confirmed that Cooper Mays would be out for an undisclosed amount of time during training camp in August, the question regarding his return to the field was asked over and over again.
The first week of the season came and went with no update, as did the second.
The veteran Tennessee center became active for the third week of the season against Florida but did not play in that game or the following one against UTSA.
Then came the South Carolina game, which marked Mays’ official season debut on the field. Mays’ experience and leadership helped lead the Vols to a big-time 41-20 victory over the Gamecocks in Knoxville.
“It was huge,” Offensive coordinator Joey Halzle said on Tuesday about Mays’ return. “They (South Carolina) were another team that liked to bring a ton of pressure. They changed the front up on us, gave us some unscouted looks, and Cooper (Mays) did a great job getting us in the right call, getting us all on the same page and allowing us to keep playing fast while we were changing calls and doing all that. Just having him in there I think fresh, physically what he did inside was really impressive. So, it was really good to have him back.”
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel explained how beneficial Mays’ return was to the Vols’ running game after the South Carolina win, pointing to the communication, intelligence, and overall performance that it takes on the field. Running back Dylan Sampson and Mays finished the game as the Vols’ third and fourth-highest-rated offensive players according to Pro Football Focus, respectively.
“Coop is experienced,” Sampson said on Tuesday. “He’s been a leader, man. Obviously, he’s not at full 100 percent because you need those game reps to get in shape but man, he just leads the charge. He doesn’t second guess himself.”
Mays played 70 snaps against South Carolina, which was just four less than what the offense produced throughout the entirety of the game. But while we know that there were times Mays was still trying to get his legs underneath him during the game, it hardly looked like it.
“I can recall a memory from last game where I think I had a couple of big runs,” Sampson said. “I know Coop is tired but he’s the first offensive lineman set. And, you know, we can’t do anything until the center is set. The urgency he plays with, the way he leads that group, the way he leads everybody on this team, it’s big.”
More from RTI: Tennessee’s Tyler Baron Isn’t Concerned With The Outside Noise
With having to miss the first four games of the season, some expected more of a ramped-up role for Mays in his first game as opposed to playing 95 percent of the offensive snaps. Not Mays, though.
“No, probably not,” Mays said after the game on if he ended up playing more than he anticipated. “If I’m going to start something, I’m going to try and finish it. I anticipated playing the whole game and it kind of ended up being like that.”
At the end of the day, though, Mays’ first game of the year was an important one. While Dayne Davis and Ollie Lane were serviceable in that spot, there’s a reason why Mays was named a Third-Team All-SEC preseason selection heading into the season by the coaches and media. Having Cooper Mays back in the starting lineup for Tennessee will continue to pay off as the season goes on and as Mays’ conditioning gets back to in-season levels.
“I felt good,” Mays said coming off of the South Carolina game. “It felt good for me to get out there and be with my teammates. That was the hardest part of being out. Just getting back, being able to get into the swing of things and finding a little bit of rhythm was good. Sometimes it hurts to play the game – that’s just how it is. I’ve been a little bit sore, but I’m getting back this week and getting ready for next week too.”
No. 19 Tennessee and Cooper Mays will host Texas A&M this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET in Neyland Stadium.
