The redshirt freshman is out to take on Mississippi State.

With the way things have been going for the Tennessee Volunteers football program, it’s not often that some bad news arrives for head coach Josh Heupel and his staff. Unfortunately, injuries are always expected during a long season, and a backup speedster will be out of action for Week 11.

With the Vols releasing their latest injury report, plenty of eyebrows were raised when it was announced that backup running back DeSean Bishop has been ruled out to take on Mississippi State on Saturday night.

Bishop got injured early on in the win over the Kentucky Wildcats last Saturday night and he wasn’t able to return. After the final whistle, Heupel said he didn’t have an update on his RB, but we now know he’s going to be out for at least a week.

Backup Tennessee Vols RB DeSean Bishop has been ruled out for Week 11
Dylan Sampson is the leader for the ground game, as he’s one of the best RBs in the country. In the win over UK, he posted 142 yards and two touchdowns – his brilliant performance included him overcoming adversity, as he was benched in the first half.

When Sampson was on the sidelines, freshman running back Peyton Lewis stepped in with Bishop hurt. Against Mississippi State, Lewis will be expected to see more action now that Bishop won’t be able to go due to his lower body injury.

Throughout the season, Bishop, a 5-10, 200-pounder, has rushed for 372 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. He’s been a dependable No. 2 option behind Sampson, but now Lewis’ number will be called against MSU when Sampson needs a breather.

The hope is that Bishop will only miss one game, but things are a bit up in the air there. Following this weekend’s game at Neyland Stadium, Tennessee will be making the trip to Athens for a huge road showdown against Georgia. We’ll have to wait and see if Bishop will be ready to rock for that one or not.