Nov 30, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Dylan Sampson (6) during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Defensive Touchdown Review: Sampson off to the Races

Originally posted on NC State Wolfpack on SI
By Daniel Rios | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 12:30 PM ET

The Wolfpack defense would want to close its eyes watching some of the tape they displayed in 2024. Some games don't roll how you hope, but losing 51-10 to Tennessee, forget about that. NC State seemingly did, as it was still just a non-conference game, but what was displayed –. Bottom line. It wasn't pretty.

The game started close, but a pick-six thrown by Grayson McCall was all the momentum the Volunteers needed to begin their scoring avalanche. One of those scores came early in the fourth quarter, as Dylan Sampson ran for a 34-yard touchdown to put the Volunteers up 44-10.

Dylan Sampson Touchdown

Tennessee comes out in a gun deuce tight end offset formation out of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends). The back is on the formation's strong side, towards the field side.

NC State comes out in a nickel 3-3 front (three defensive linemen, three linebackers), with a single-high safety between the hashes. The Wolfpack loaded the box with six defenders, but two defensive backs right on the outside, ready to fill any run towards the boundary side of the field. For quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the Wolfpack are in man coverage based on the pre-snap look. Obviously, post-snap, it could change.

The ball gets snapped, and the Volunteers aren't passing; they opted to run a GH counter run scheme, meaning the left guard and offset tight end pull towards the field's boundary side, with the rest of the line down blocking. The Wolfpack fills this run decently. All three linebackers come crashing down, taking on blocks, leaving Sampson one-on-one with a defensive back from the Wolfpack.

The corner takes a not-so-good angle on Sampson, which lets him bounce the run outside, and it's off to the races from there. Sampson showcases his 4.42 speed and can finish the play by outrunning the Wolfpack defense, which is why he's now in the NFL, being a part of the Cleveland Browns.

Looking at the play from the endzone angle, linebacker Caden Fordham gets washed away in the traffic, and Sean Brown runs right into a block, unable to shed it efficiently. The volunteers provided a great scheme for this play.

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This article first appeared on NC State Wolfpack on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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