When quarterback Hendon Hooker went down with a knee injury late in the game against South Carolina, it capped off one of the worst nights for Tennessee this century.
It was announced on Sunday that Hooker suffered a torn ACL, meaning his career at Tennessee was over. Hooker made the announcement via Twitter:
Hooker brought life to a football program in one of its darkest moments. The signal caller gave Tennessee fans – and college football fans across the nation – some fantastic memories.
Hooker finished his 24-game Tennessee career with 6,080 passing yards, 1,060 rushing yards, 68 total touchdowns and only five interceptions.
Hooker completed 69-percent of his passes and averaged 9.6 yards per completion. He only threw five interceptions in 632 attempts, averaging .008 interceptions per attempt.
Although offensive scheming has evolved to be more quarterback friendly, here’s a look at how Hooker stands compared to some of Tennessee’s past quarterbacks.
Heath Shuler 1991-93
Shuler – who finished second in the Heisman voting in 1993 – finished his career with 4,089 passing yards and 36 touchdowns on 316-of-513 passing. Although he was at Tennessee for three years, he was only a starter for his last two.
Shuler completed 61.6-percent of his passes, averaged eight yards per attempt, and threw 12 interceptions. He averaged .023 interceptions per attempt.
He also rushed for 383 yards, averaging 2.4 yards per attempt.
Another interesting statistic: Shuler had one punt for 31 yards in 1992. Hooker wasn’t asked to do that.
Peyton Manning 1994-97
Manning – who finished sixth in Heisman voting in 1995, eighth in 1996, and second in 1997 – completed his Tennessee career with 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns, completing 863 of his 1381 passing attempts.
Manning completed 62.5-percent of his passes, averaged 8.1 yards per attempt, and threw 33 interceptions. He averaged .024 interceptions per attempt.
Manning rushed for -181 yards, averaging -1.2 per attempt.
Tee Martin 1996-99
Martin is the last Tennessee quarterback to win a championship. The two-year starter finished his career with 4,592 yards and 33 touchdowns on 326-of-588 passing.
The national champion completed 55.4-percent of his passes, averaged 7.8 yards per attempt, and threw 16 interceptions. He averaged 0.27 interceptions per attempt.
Martin rushed for 614 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging three yards per rush.
Erik Ainge 2004-07
Ainge led Tennessee to an SEC championship appearance in 2007 but fell to eventual national champion LSU. Ainge finished his career with 8,700 yards and 72 touchdowns on 733-1210 passing. He threw 35 picks, averaging .029 per attempt.
Ainge completed 60.6-percent of his passes and averaged 7.2 yards per attempt.
He rushed for -227 yards, averaging -2.8 yards per rush.
Joshua Dobbs 2013-16
Dobbs was the most recent quarterback, other than Hooker, to bring excitement to Rocky Top.
Dobbs finished his career with 7,138 yards and 53 touchdowns on 614-999 passing. He threw 29 interceptions, averaging 0.029 per attempt.
The signal caller completed 61.5-percent of his passes and averaged 7.1 yards per attempt.
He rushed for 2,160 yards, averaging 4.9 yards per rush.
Looking back on some of Tennessee’s best quarterbacks in program history, it’s no wonder why Hooker has cemented himself as an all-time great and one of the best to wear the orange and white.
