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Tennessee football: Five takeaways from Vols 48-45 OT loss to Purdue

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee running back Jabari Small (2) finds a line through the Purdue defense during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Hpt Music City Bowl First Half 02
Tennessee running back Jabari Small (2) finds a line through the Purdue defense during the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl between Tennessee and Purdue at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.Hpt Music City Bowl First Half 02 /
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Dec 30, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) scores a touchdown past Purdue Boilermakers cornerback Jamari Brown (7) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) scores a touchdown past Purdue Boilermakers cornerback Jamari Brown (7) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports /

2. There were many clutch plays by the Vols despite the loss.

Even in a loss, you have to admire the guts of Hendon Hooker, Jabari Small and Cedric Tillman. They did a lot of good things throughout the game and came through in some of the biggest moments, something this team has not shown a lot of.

The Vols had not tied a game back up all year in the fourth quarter after being down. However, they did it twice in this game. Hooker hit Tillman on that 4th and goal from the 13-yard line play that we talked about on the previous possession. That was one of them.

Then, after Purdue scored again to go up 45-38, Hooker took the Vols 72 yards on four plays with under three minutes to go, tying it up with a touchdown pass to Jalin Hyatt. This type of clutch play is what we needed to see from Hooker, and despite the loss, he proved he can handle being in such situations, which was a concern in the past.

In overtime, Hooker showed his clutch gene again. He was nearly sacked on the first fourth down play. However, he stayed alive and then ran down the sideline to just get the first down in a play that was all him. Then there was the Jaylen Wright reach that clearly was a touchdown. Tennessee football got a lot out of these guys, and that bodes well for next year.

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