Tennessee football at Pitt: 10 keys to the game
1. Quarterback play
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It’s actually pretty simple. This is a game all about quarterbacks. Last year, Pitt had the advantage. Kenny Pickett was a Heisman candidate, and Hendon Hooker didn’t step in for Tennessee football until the middle of this game after Joe Milton III, the original starter, suffered an injury.
This year, Hooker is a much better quarterback and should be the better quarterback in this game. While Pitt has lost Pickett, though, it’s not clear if they suffered a drop-off. Kedon Slovis was highly efficient against WVU, completing 16-of-24 passes for 308 yards while throwing no interceptions. He was an All Pac-12 quarterback at USC.
On the other hand, Hooker seems to be much better at handling pressure in the pocket this year than Slovis, at least based on what they did in their openers. That was an advantage Pickett had last year. Hooker’s mobility should also give him the advantage, so the question is more about what Slovis will be able to do.
Still, Slovis is a good quarterback and could easily be the one who plays better in this game. That’s something Tennessee football can’t afford. Both teams’ receivers will torch the other teams’ secondary, as those mismatches are clear. It’s about which quarterback exploits them the most.
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Vol fans spent all offseason pushing Hooker as a dark-horse Heisman candidate. If he’s going to live up to that, he’s got to be the reason they win this game. Losing it will be disastrous for what they are tying to prove, and that makes his and Slovis’ play the biggest key to this game.