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Hurd focused on the second level

There has been more watching than playing. More tutoring than tough runs. It's the life of a top level tailback on a veteran team during spring practice. And for Tennessee tailback Jalen Hurd, it's been also about improving his own game.

"I really have been working on my second level cuts," Hurd said. "Work on my burst and my top end speed, sideline and trying to stay in bounds."

Those second level cuts have been on his mind since he recapped the 2015 season. He saw the opportunity to make a bigger impact and believes the improvement will show up this fall.

"When you get in the open field, making people miss," Hurd said. "When you get in the open field, that's the linebacker in the hole that you need to shake them up and make them miss. That's the mark of a great running back."

The guy handing him the ball on Saturday's has seen the hard work. And from what Josh Dobbs has seen, he expects Hurd to really leave a lasting impact.

"He's always trying to get better," Josh Dobbs said. "I've seen his footwork improve and he's trying to not get tripped up by that one tackler. He's seeing the game well in pass protection.

"(2nd level cuts) is something he's repped. He's getting better at it and I'm excited to see him make more guys miss and have more explosive runs."

Hurd ran for 1,158 yards as a sophomore. And with that same season in 2016, he'll become Tennessee's all time leading rusher for a career. He's just 1,022 yards short of passing Travis Henry.

"Absolutely, I've thought about that," Hurd said. "That would be amazing and definitely that is a goal and something I want to do. You always have goals for yourself like that. Now that it's reachable, I want to do it."

Hurd loves to watch others that play the position in an effort to improve his own craft. Le'Veon Bell, Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch and Todd Gurley are just a few that he admires. Fellow running back Alvin Kamara told Volquest on Saturday that he watches film on former Vol Charlie Garner and Hurd does the same with another former Vol great.

"I've watched a lot of Jamal Lewis," Hurd said. "He's a bigger running back and I liked the way he ran. He also had some shake to him. I've met him and talked to him a few times and he's a great guy. He gave me some tips on my game and it was good to see him."

Seeing limited reps this spring in an effort to stay healthy for the fall, Hurd has learned to be patient and make the most of his opportunities.

"It's been total improvement in all," Butch Jones said. "Last year he was recovering from his shoulder and he's done a great job in terms of watching video. He studies a lot of Jamal Lewis and he's dedicated himself to doing the extra with video and the weight room. He's always in here watching video and doing it at home on his IPad."

The improvement could lead to bigger plays which in turn could lead to bigger wins this coming season. It's all about the team for Hurd and a dream that was talked about during recruiting three years ago. A recruiting class that wanted to put Tennessee back on the map.

"We talked about those moments and times like this," Hurd said. "And what we talked about is here now and it's time for us to step up and change this and show everyone what we can do."

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