Tennessee football: Five key Vols to watch for vs. Florida

6’4″ 218 pounds

If a wideout and the run game will be key to beating Florida, then Tennessee football will obviously need its dual-threat quarterback more than anybody else. Hendon Hooker quietly seemed to launch a dark-horse Heisman campaign against the Pittsburgh Panthers, and he was highly efficient in the Vols’ other two wins as well.

Now, with SEC play beginning, the real tests for Hooker begin. Florida has struggled dual-threat quarterbacks as well as running backs. Utah quarterback Cameron Rising had seven carries for 91 yards. USF quarterback Gerry Bohanon had 15 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Hooker has been trying to throw more from the pocket this year, but he does have those legs, and heading into a bye week, if there were ever a game to use them, this would be that game. At the same time, though, his arm will be crucial, as UT needs to use its big targets on the outside to torch Florida’s secondary whenever it gets the chance.

Taking all this into account, despite how cliche it seems, Tennessee football’s quarterback is its most important player against Florida. Hooker could really put his Heisman campaign on the map with a strong performance in this one, and he’d etch his name into UT lore.