Tennessee football’s top five performers in 59-10 win vs. Ball State
Pick Analysis. Quarterback. 1. player. 839. Scouting Report. r-Senior. Hendon Hooker
18-of-25, 221 yards, 2 TDs; 5 carries, 12 yards, 2 TDs; 0 turnovers
Was there ever any question about this one? Tennessee football had tons of players step up in the game, and it watered down all of their stats, but Hendon Hooker stood out above everybody else. In a quarterback-driven game, that’s to be expected. Hooker did more than just throw it, though.
As you can see, Hooker had two touchdown runs, which led everybody. Ball State was cheating up so much, particularly on the goal line, that Hooker Smartly kept it twice and ran it in for the Vols’ second and third touchdowns. His first pass of the game was a 23-yard strike to Jalin Hyatt, and he later threw another touchdown to Walker Merrill.
These efficiency numbers were vintage Hooker. He completed 72 percent of his passes and averaged almost right at nine yards an attempt. More importantly, though, he didn’t skew those stats by taking lots of sacks. Yes, he took one, but it was on a rollout, and it was only a one-yard loss, so it wasn’t him standing in the pocket too long.
Next. Five takeaways from Vols' 59-10 win vs. Ball State. dark
The Vols played five quarterback Thursday, and Joe Milton III showed improvement and was even more efficient off the bench, completing 8-of-9 passes for 113 yards and carrying it once for 21 yards. Gaston Moore also completed his only pass, for 17 yards. However, Hooker was the star. He’s the reason Tennessee football took control, so he’s the player of the game.