KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In a game that had been back and forth all afternoon, and right after No. 20 Florida scored to cut the lead to three, No. 11 Tennessee was looking for a big answer against the Gators.
Who else to turn to than the Vols’ staring quarterback, sixth-year senior Hendon Hooker.
On the first play out of the kickoff, the Gators got full pressure on Hooker. The Vols’ quarterback looked like he was about to be sacked for what would have been a devastating loss, however, somehow found his way out of traffic before beginning to scramble.
Hooker found tight end Princeton Fant and used him as a human shield, pushing him into a Florida defender before making a nice cut and accelerating down the sideline for 44 yards.
The play would eventually set up a one-yard touchdown rush from Jabari Small, giving the Vols a 10-point lead in the third quarter.
Hooker’s big play with his legs was just a microcosm of the day he had against the Gators. Combine his performance with the atmosphere created by ESPN’s College Game Day being in town, a sell-out crowd at Neyland Stadium, and a top-25 matchup between SEC rivals, Saturday was something that hadn’t been seen in Knoxville since 2016.
Despite all of the national attention, the Vols (4-0) behind the incredible effort of their starting quarterback, proved it was all deserved as they took down Florida (2-2) for the first time in the past six matchups.
Even after a full year in Tennessee’s new high-tempo offense, it feels like sixth-year quarterback Hendon Hooker does something to one-up himself in every big game.
Saturday was no different.
The Vols’ starter put together an incredible performance against one of the Vols’ biggest rivals, totaling 461 yards of offense and putting the team on his back. His 112 yards of rushing on 13 attempts led Tennessee, while his 349 yards through the air were the most from a Tennessee quarterback against Florida since Peyton Manning.
“Hendon played his butt off tonight,” said Josh Heupel. “He played at an elite level … He’s just a tough competitor and offensively, we fed off of him all night long.”
Hooker put up all those numbers while being injured. A strip sack in the middle of the second quarter sent the Vols’ quarterback into the injury tent with what looked like a non-throwing arm injury. It wouldn’t matter, because Hooker was not going to come out of the game.
“Football is a physical game. Persevering through that is something I pride myself in,” Hooker said. “Just being a warrior and competing for my brothers. You’re gonna get hit hard and you’re gonna get banged up, but if you can go, you can go.”
While Hooker’s performance was one for the ages, Tennessee’s win over the Gators was far from perfect, starting with the Vols’ defense. Tennessee struggled against Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, giving up 515 yards, including 453 yards through the air, a new career-high for Richardson. They also allowed Richardson his first and second touchdown passes of the season.
As for the offense, it was another slow start. While Tennessee was able to move the ball easily on the first two drives, they came away empty handed after a red zone fumble and a field goal. Florida used the slow start to take an early lead, however the Vols’ offense would eventually get going for a back and forth first half.
With Florida finding it’s momentum, and Tennessee backed up at their own 1-yard line at the end of the first half, The Vols drove 99 yards down the field in 12 plays to take a 17-14 lead just before the half. That drive, which included a nice diving catch from backup wide receiver Ramel Keyton and ended with a nice hookup between Hooker and Bru McCoy in the end zone.
That 99-yard drive was a huge momentum swing, as the Vols opened up the second half with a touchdown pass to Jabari Small to push the lead to double digits. After a methodical Florida response, the Vols would score in back-to-back drives thanks to a big forced fumble from defensive lineman Omari Thomas to push the lead to 17 points.
Then things got interesting.
After Tennessee failed to put any more points on the board, Florida got the ball back and scored with just under five minutes left. Florida head coach Billy Napier elected to go for the two-point conversion, a questionable decision, and failed to make the score 38-27. The Vols failed to run the clock out and turned the ball over on downs giving the Gators another shot. With that, Florida drove down and score again with 17 seconds left, went for two again, and failed.
With the lead dwindled down to five, Florida went for the onside kick, and actually recovered the ball, giving them one final chance to win the game. However, like has been seen all season, Tennessee’s defense stepped up big in a critical situation, getting pressure on Richardson from Byron Young and Tyler Baron, and forcing him to throw an interception, sealing the Vols’ first win over the Gators in six years.
Takeaways
The biggest takeaway from this game is the final result. Forget what happened on the field, forget what happened in the final two minutes, Tennessee beat Florida. The Vols were getting questioned all week whether or not there was a mental hump when playing the Gators, and they went out and proved there wasn’t one. To do that in just his second year shows what kind of program Heupel is building at Tennessee, and it is one that fans should be excited for.
The next biggest takeaway is that Hendon Hooker is for real. Yes, this is something that keeps being said after every big game, but the guy just keeps out-doing himself week after week. He single handedly put the Vols on his back both with his arm and his legs, and led Tennessee to Saturday’s win. If he hadn’t put himself there before, he’s definitely in the Heisman Trophy conversation now. And people are taking notice.
“If you continue to win and play like (Hendon) is, you’re going to get that attention,” said Heupel on Hooker’s Heisman potential. “He’s special.”
On a less positive note, the third takeaway is the Tennessee defense and their struggles. Like was predicted at the beginning of the season, the secondary is the clear weak point on the Vols’ defense. Missed tackles, blown coverage, and bad reads plagued the Vols and kept the Gators in the game. Also, while Tennessee was able to get pressure on Richardson, they only garnered up one sack. The defensive line and the rest of the defense has to find ways to finish.
On the flip side of that, Tennessee was able to win a big game even with all of the mistakes. The Vols of the past would have let that game slip away despite being the more talented team, however, Tennessee was able to go out there and overcome the mistakes to take down Florida, which is a good sign for the program.
What’s Next
The Vols will have a bye week next weekend before heading to Death Valley to face LSU and the Tigers. By then, Tennessee could potentially find itself in the AP top-10 after Arkansas and Oklahoma fell on Saturday. Regardless of what happens in the rankings, Tennessee will have all eyes on them now that they have proven they can take on their biggest challengers.