DeSean Bishop is Tennessee's latest tailback to reach 1,000-yard milestone  

NASHVILLE — Tennessee redshirt-sophomore running back DeSean Bishop clinched the 1,000-yard rushing milestone on Tuesday in the Liberty Music City Bowl against Illinois from Nissan Stadium.  

With an 18-yard run in the first quarter, Bishop clinched the milestone to secure 1,016 yards on the season at the time.

There’s now 21 Tennessee running backs all-time to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. He becomes the third in three years for Josh Heupel, joining Jaylen Wright (2023) and Dylan Sampson (2024).

Bishop’s yards on the ground entered the day ranking fifth in the Southeastern Conference while his 6.0 yards per carry is fourth best. The tailback’s 14 rushing touchdowns are third-most in the conference.

In what began as a three-headed monster in the backfield to begin the year with Bishop splitting carries with Star Thomas and Peyton Lewis, the redshirt-sophomore took over the lead back role with 24 and 20 carriers, respectively, in the final two games.

Bishop rushed for over 100 yards in three SEC games this season, totaling 146 yards against Arkansas, 123 yards on the road at Alabama and 116 yards at Florida. Tennessee was 2-1 in those outcomes. Bishop scored two touchdowns in five games this season (UAB, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt).