Tennessee appears set to have DeSean Bishop back in the mix when the Vols face Texas on Saturday.
Bishop was not included on Wednesday’s SEC availability report, a strong sign that he is available for the matchup. The running back had left last week’s game against Kennesaw State after getting hurt in the first half, then came back after halftime. He logged two more carries, got banged up again and did not return.
Even with that scare, Josh Heupel sounded confident earlier this week that Bishop would be ready.
“I have not talked to him, but I think he’s feeling pretty good,” Heupel said.
“We’ll make sure he’s fully ready to go on Saturday,” Heupel also said later in the press conference.
Bishop has been one of Tennessee’s most productive players through the opening stretch of the season. In the Vols’ first two games, he piled up 244 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries. That included a big outing at Georgia Tech, where he ran for 147 yards and two scores on 20 touches.
Against Kennesaw State, he was effective before the injury hit. Bishop totaled 42 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries, and he added one catch for 15 yards. Through three games, his numbers stand at 43 carries for 286 yards and four touchdowns, plus two receptions for 30 yards.
Last season, Bishop broke through as one of the SEC’s top backs, finishing with 1,076 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 182 carries. The Knoxville native, who starred at Karns High School, originally came to Tennessee as a walk-on before earning a scholarship.
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