Tennessee football’s QB situation two plays away from being clear-cut
Those final two offensive drives against the Pittsburgh Panthers did more than just cost Tennessee football a shot at a win. It cost Josh Heupel the chance to really have no choice when it comes to determining who to start at quarterback between Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton III.
On the surface, Hooker is the obvious choice. He is completing over 70 percent of his passes and averaging nearly eight yards an attempt, while Milton is completing under 52 percent of his passes and averaging under five and a half yards an attempt.
Even on advanced metrics, Hooker has a better yards per attempt average on passes from behind the line of scrimmage, 0-10 yards and 10-20 yards. Add in the obvious Milton overthrows on deep balls we’ve seen with the eye test, and Hooker is the better passer. He’s also the better runner, averaging over six yards a carry while Milton averages under five and a half.
Finally, the negatives mostly cancel out. Both Milton and Hooker have lost a fumble in every game they’ve played in. So, with Milton also banged up, why is Heupel complicating the decision? Well, it comes down to those two final drives against Pitt.
When the Vols had the ball down 41-34 and brought up 4th and 1 at the Pitt 3-yard line, Hooker was given an RPO play. In spite of an obvious attack up the middle by the Panthers, he handed it off anyway. Heupel could make the case that Milton would have known to keep it and run, at which point he would have walked in for a touchdown.
Then, on the next drive, with another chance to tie, Hooker threw an interception over the middle. The pass was a poor decision, and while he’s more accurate than Milton, it’s a safe bet Milton would have known to not make that throw. Pitt was then able to run out the clock and win.
That’s it. Those two plays alone are the only reason there’s even any debate about who Tennessee football’s starting quarterback should be. After all, UT was down 17-13 when Hooker came into that game, so if the Vols had not missed on those two plays, they likely would have won, and Hooker would be the hero for leading them back.
Instead, though, Rocky Top is 2-1 and a heavy underdog traveling to Gainesville, Fla. to face the Florida Gators. Heupel, for all his offensive genius, will go out of his way to justify Milton being the starter if he can since Milton is his guy. The Michigan Wolverines transfer is the one quarterback Heupel signed on this team.
He might have a case. For all of Milton’s faults on the deep ball, Hooker hasn’t been much better. They had the same PFF grade for a reason against Pitt. Sure, Hooker’s efficiency numbers are better overall, but he padded his stats against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.
dark. Next. The case for and against each Vols QB
The way Tennessee football ended its game against Pitt is the biggest reason the Vols have any question at this position. There’s not much of a sample size to go on for any quarterback yet, but with Heupel saying in his Thursday press conference that he only plans to play one quarterback on Saturday, he has to nitpick to find his guy. It’s more complicated than it seems.