KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In three appearances this season, Tiyon Evans’ versatility has already proven quite effective at Tennessee.
He can run. He can catch. He can block.
All three are essential parts of what Josh Heupel’s system requires of a running back, and Evans has performed well every facet.
In rushing: 42 times for 211 yards, averaging just over five yards per clip.
In catching: see his 47-yard, game-tying screen pass against Florida — and the pre-snap adjustment he made that allowed the touchdown to happen.
“When we were game planning that play, I had checked the defense to see what type of scheme they were in,” Evans said Monday. “I saw open field, so once I got through the little slip, everything was just green grass.”
And in blocking? “I love blocking, and my job is to protect the quarterback. I do that at a high level.”
There’s proof in the pudding there, too. On Tennessee’s 75-yard touchdown pass to JaVonta Payton last Saturday, Evans came off a fake handoff before picking up blitzing Florida linebacker Kylan Johnson to prevent a possible sack.
Jerry Mack, Tennessee’s running back coach, echoed Evans’ versatility and how well he performed in his first SEC test.
“It changes week to week,” he said when asked what impresses him most. “What impressed me most this past weekend was his pass protection. I thought he did a great job of being locked and loaded, and his focus and attention to detail have really impressed me the last couple of weeks.”
But that focus may not have been as present in Week 3 as it was against the Gators.
While understandable that Evans wasn’t as focused against Tennessee Tech as he was for his first in-conference opponent, Mack noted his disappointment.
Moreover, Mack added that he spoke to Evans about performing at his top level — about being “‘the best Tiyon’” — regardless of the opponent.
“It’s just a battle with myself,” said Evans when asked about his response. “I have standards in trying to hold myself at, so just approaching it with the same mindset every day and getting the outcome that I got.”
This past weekend against the Gators, that approach held true — although postgame clips revealed there still some plays Evans would like to have back.
“I’m not all the way there,” Evans said. “As I watch film I see I left a lot of yards on the field, so I’m trying to clean that up week by week.”
How does that clean-up happen? “Being more patient and just playing fast.”
Tennessee players and coaches have reiterated how that tempo needs to increase, and they’ve said that the Vols are “nowhere near” playing as fast as Heupel wants them to be.
The Vols will get another crack at notching that speed this weekend when they face Missouri in a noon Eastern (11 a.m. Central) kickoff in Columbia.
To move that quickly against the Tigers, though, UT will again look to Evans and Jabari Small — a pair that combined for 109 rushing yards on 22 carries in Gainesville.
“That’s what we need from backs,” Evans said. “We need explosive runs, we need hard runs downfield and physicality. When you’re playing at a high level like that, I feel like this team can most definitely put up big numbers.”
And what kind of numbers could the Vols reach this week against a defense that allowed 275 rushing yards from Boston College?
“I don’t really want to get into it,” said Evans — who took a breath before apparently deciding to “get into it” anyway.
During that brief pause, Evans seemed to process the Vols’ offensive potential, both this weekend and beyond.
Then, Tennessee’s transfer running back let a Cheshire Cat smile slip across his face before issuing a statement that could only be rivaled by his expression.
“I feel like we’re fixing to have some fun, most definitely,” he said. “We’re fixing to open up this offense and show what we really can do.”
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