Tennessee football: Five key Vols to watch for vs. Missouri
839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Quarterback. r-Senior (GR). Hendon Hooker. 3. player
6’4″ 218 pounds
Since Mizzou is going to make this an ugly game and one about the line of scrimmage, Hendon Hooker and the passing attack won’t be the most important part of Tennessee football. However, Hooker is still going to be crucial in this game, and everything about the passing attack will go through him, which is natural as the quarterback.
None of the receivers made the list, mainly because we don’t know which ones will have the biggest matchup advantages in this one. The way Mizzou plays and the offenses they have faced make it hard to know just how good their cornerbacks are, so that’s a wait and see moment.
What’s not wait and see, obviously, is the fact that Hooker will have to deliver the ball to whomever gets open the most, and he’ll have to be more accurate than he was last week, as he missed two clear touchdown passes. Lucky for him, Mizzou’s defense, while elite, is nowhere near as dangerous as Georgia’s defense.
A similar comparison to Mizzou on defense is the Pittsburgh Panthers, who got by on an elite defensive line. Hooker led the Vols to somewhat of an ugly victory in that game thanks to sloppy play, but he was able to be effective in the run game and on some big pass plays. That’s probably the formula for him in this one too.