Tennessee football touted its three-headed monster at running back during fall camp after Duke transfer Star Thomas impressed throughout fall camp and in both of the Vols’ fall scrimmages. Thomas proved his preseason performance was no fluke impressing in the Vols’ season-opening win over Syracuse.
Thomas rushed for a game-high 92 yards on just 12 carries while adding a seven-yard touchdown reception on a broken play in the red zone.
“Man, he was really impressive. Again, a guy that we saw a lot of flashes from in practice,” Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle said of Thomas. “But until you get to do it on game day, like he hit a whole different gear. His ability to go catch the ball, dopes the guy on that scramble drill, he went and got the touchdown. We thought he could do it, but to see it was really big time. So watching him play, just another weapon in the offense that we can feed the football to and get in space and create problems from the other teams. It’s an exciting option to have that guy.”
It’s what Thomas can do in the passing game and the way Tennessee threw the ball to its backs that was notable in the opener. Josh Heupel’s offense has rarely used the running backs in the passing game, but they completed three passes to backs in the opener showing new wrinkles in the screen game.
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Thomas flashed an ability to make plays as a receiver to this point in his college career. The Louisiana native has totaled 150-plus receiving yards each of his first three collegiate seasons and totaled six receiving touchdowns.
“We felt like being more multiple, including the backs in the pass game, including the backs in wide sets, and getting them out in the space, it does nothing but help us,” Halzle said of using running backs in the passing game. “We like all the backs. We like them carrying the football in the box, man. Why don’t we like them out on the edge running with the football? Now they, to your point, have to have the skillset to be able to do that and we feel like they do.
So getting them in space, getting them in grass is something that we’re looking to do. How do we do it every week? What’s a creative way we can get a guy a ball in grass and let him go play?”
