Tennessee running back out for second straight game vs. Kent State

Tennessee Football will be without sophomore running back Cam Seldon for a second straight game Saturday night against Kent State. Head coach Josh Heupel said Monday he believed Seldon would be “available” for the Kent State game, along with defensive back Jakobe Thomas and linebacker Kalib Perry.

Tennessee is also expected to be missing starting left tackle Lance Heard against Kent State.

Seldon and Perry were inactive against North Carolina State in the 51-10 win Saturday night in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte. Thomas left the game in the second half with an apparent shoulder issue after a hard hit near the Tennessee sideline. 

“We’ll see as the week goes on,” Heupel said during his weekly press conference on Monday, “but I anticipate all those guys being available for us this week.” 

No. 7 Tennessee (2-0) and Kent State (0-2) are scheduled for a 7:45 Eastern Time start on SEC Network. 

Seldon played in the 69-3 season-opening win over Chattanooga on August 31 at Neyland Stadium, carrying seven times for 40 yards.

The Vols last week ran 44 times for 258 yards and had three rushing touchdowns as a team against NC State. Junior starter Dylan Sampson led the way with 20 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 37 yards.

Redshirt freshman DeSean Bishop was the No. 2 running back, carrying 10 times for 42 yards. Khalifa Keith had three attempts for five yards and freshman Peyton Lewis also ran three times for five yards. 

Seldon, the 6-foot-2, 222-pound sophomore, suffered a shoulder injury during spring practice in March but was cleared for contact during fall camp. Lewis, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound freshman and former four-star prospect, underwent shoulder surgery after enrolling at Tennessee in January and was also limited during the offseason.

Seldon rushed 13 times for 55 yards in Tennessee’s 35-0 win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day, backing up Sampson after Jaylen Wright opted out to begin preparing for the NFL Draft.

No. 7 Tennessee vs. Kent State: How To Watch

Kickoff Time: Saturday, 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time

TV: SEC Network

Streaming: ESPN App

Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee. 

Location: Neyland Stadium (101,915)

A Closer Look: Kent State Golden Flashes

Kent State lost 23-17 to St. Francis (PA) last week at home. The Red Flash, an FCS program in the Northeast Conference, led 20-7 late in the first half and ended the game with 402 total yards, running for 207 and passing for 195. St. Francis was a 19.5-point underdog before winning at Kent State. 

Kent State went just 2-for-14 on third down and had just 280 total yards in the loss. The Golden Flashes dropped to 0-2 after losing 55-24 at Pitt last week. 

Last season Kent State finished 1-11, with the lone win coming against Central Connecticut State, 38-10 last September against another FCS program from the Northeast Conference. 

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