Tennessee’s offense is anything but conservative. However, there are some tried and true fundamentals that still can serve the Vols well: running the ball and not throwing interceptions. Those two things are rather important. One is lagging behind the other.
It’s tough to judge Tennessee’s running game so far this season considering the Vols have faced two opponents that matched up so poorly and another that is a stout matchup for even the most ground-based team. Ball State and Akron just weren’t very good. Pittsburgh sold out to stop the run and pressure quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Tennessee’s rushing offense is currently ranked ninth in the SEC. That’s not where Tennessee coach Josh Heupel would like to end up. The Vols ended last season as the third-best rushing team in the SEC. That’s more like it.
The Vols received a boost from a speed-option play against Akron that resulted in two significant gains for freshman Dylan Sampson. That could be a sign of things to come. Could there be more? Heupel wasn’t willing to admit that during his weekly press conference on Monday.
“Week to week we are going to change offensively based on what we’re seeing structure from the other side of the football,” Heupel said. “It was an opportunity for us to get the ball out on the perimeter and Hendon did a really nice job of operating in it the two times that we ran it, and Dylan did as well.”
As for throwing interceptions, that hasn’t been a problem for Hooker. In 85 pass attempts, no pass has ended up in a defender’s hands. Considering Tennessee’s penchant for throwing the ball downfield and Hooker’s occasional accuracy mishaps, that’s quite impressive, but not surprising. For those that threw enough passes to qualify, Hooker was tied for first in the SEC with the fewest interceptions. In 303 pass attempts, Hooker threw just three interceptions. Why? That’s how he was raised.
“The main focus for me is taking care of the team,” Hooker said. “The ball is the team. Just taking care of the ball is something that has been preached to me since I was a young age.”
Hooker said he didn’t get many opportunities to throw the ball when he was younger. That’s made him constantly aware of making sure that he doesn’t waste any opportunities to throw, which he has plenty of now.
“I can always remember in high school – we’d throw the ball like nine times a game,” Hooker said. “I would go 8-for-9, 218 yards and three touchdowns. That was a pretty good game, but we had to take advantage of every opportunity we had throwing the ball.
“That still sticks with me. Take every opportunity that we have and make good plays. Make smart plays. That’s what I try to do every day.”
