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Tennessee football: Five key Vols to watch for at South Carolina

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) gator chomps to the crowd during the second half of a game between the Tennessee Vols and Florida Gators, in Neyland Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Tennessee defeated Florida 38-33.Utvsflorida0924 03106
Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (20) gator chomps to the crowd during the second half of a game between the Tennessee Vols and Florida Gators, in Neyland Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Tennessee defeated Florida 38-33.Utvsflorida0924 03106 /
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Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) during a game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021.Kns Tennessee Florida Football
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) during a game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021.Kns Tennessee Florida Football /

Hendon Hooker. player. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Quarterback. r-Senior (GR). 1

6’4″ 218 pounds

Okay, okay, we couldn’t even get creative here. Tennessee football’s most important player in this game is easily Hendon Hooker. We saw what Hooker did last week. He responded from that lost to the Georgia Bulldogs with an epic Heisman performance, gaining over 400 total yards and scoring four total touchdowns against the No. 13 ranked defense in the nation.

South Carolina is not the No. 13 ranked defense in the nation. They are much worse. What makes Hooker so crucial in this one, though, is the fact that part of South Carolina’s horrendous rush defense comes from their inability to contain mobile quarterbacks. Hooker, as a result, could go off on them if they aren’t carefu.

Last week, Anthony Richardson of the Florida Gators had 96 rushing yards against them. Tyrece Nick of the South Carolina State Bulldogs had 95 yards. Mizzou’s Brady Cook had 53 yards, K.J. Jefferson of the Arkansas Razorbacks had 67 yards, Darren Granger of the Georgia State Panthers had 43 yards, and Stetson Bennett of UGA had 36 yards.

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All four of those last quarterbacks we named had a touchdown against them too. Taking that into account, Hooker is well-positioned to torch South Carolina on the ground in this game, which should provide a huge boost for his Heisman campaign. It should also help Tennessee football dominate the matchup.

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