By Tennessee was in the midst of a dream season going into Columbia on Saturday night. However, the Volunteers fell out of contention for a College Football Playoff bid in a 63-38 loss at South Carolina as 23.5-point road favorites.
Even worse, star quarterback Hendon Hooker saw his collegiate career come to an end when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the fourth quarter.
Hooker went out with yet another stellar performance, completing 25-of-42 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. He also ran for 25 yards on five attempts.
Hooker arrived at UT in January of 2021 with the program in complete turmoil. Head football coach Jeremy Pruitt was fired on January 18 and AD Phillip Fulmer was forced into retirement. More than two dozen players entered the transfer portal in the weeks before and after Josh Heupel was hired to replace Pruitt.
Hooker chose to stick it out in Knoxville. Heupel actually decided to go with Joe Milton as the Vols’ starting QB at the start of the 2021 campaign. But after Milton was injured in a 41-34 home loss to Pitt in Week 2, Hooker played well and became the starter moving forward.
In 13 games last season, he completed 68.0 percent of his throws for 2,945 yards with a remarkable 31/3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Hooker also had 616 rushing yards and five TDs.
Hooker led UT to a magical 8-0 start this year and became one of the Heisman Trophy front-runners after leading it to a 52-49 home win over Alabama to end a 15-game losing streak in the rivalry.
Tennessee was No. 1 in the initial CFP rankings and stayed undefeated until losing a 27-13 decision at Georgia on Nov. 5. The Vols bounced back on Nov. 12 with a 66-24 home win over Missouri as 18-point ‘chalk.’ They went to Columbia fifth in the CFP rankings with an excellent shot at making the semifinals if they could win out.
The Gamecocks ended those dreams, though. QB Spencer Rattler had struggled all season long, entering the UT game with an 8/9 TD-INT ratio. Nevertheless, the former five-star recruit to Oklahoma shredded the Vols with 30 completions on 37 attempts for 438 yards and six TDs without an interception.
South Carolina (7-4 straight up, 6-5 against the spread) was playing without its top two running backs, MarShawn Lloyd and Christian Beal-Smith. Therefore, Shane Beamer moved tight end Jaheim Bell to RB and he responded by rushing for 82 yards on 17 carries.
WR Dakereon Joyner had 21 rushing yards and two touchdowns on six attempts, while WR Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells also had a three-yard TD run. Wells hauled in 11 catches for 177 yards, while WR Josh Vann made two receptions for 78 yards and two TDs. Bell had five catches for 39 yards and two TDs.
In 11 games this year, Hooker connected on 69.6 percent of his passes for 3,135 yards with a 27/2 TD-INT ratio. He ran for 430 yards and five TDs, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
Hooker’s career numbers are absolutely spectacular. In 45 games, he completed 66.9 percent of his throws for 8,974 yards with an incredible 80/12 TD-INT ratio. Hooker had 2,079 rushing yards and 25 TDs with a 4.0 YPC average.
In relief of Hooker this past Saturday, Milton completed 4-of-8 passes for 108 yards and one TD without an interception. He had 17 rushing yards on two attempts. In six games this season, the transfer from Michigan has completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 573 yards and six TDs without an interception. He has 72 rushing yards on only seven carries for a 10.3 YPC average.
Milton, a 6-foot-5, 245-pounder with outstanding speed, has a ton of talent. His problem has been his accuracy throwing the ball in five years of playing college football. He completed 32-of-62 throws (51.6%) for 375 yards and two TDs without an interception in 2021. Milton also had 129 rushing yards, two TDs and a 4.6 YPC average.
Now he gets to start UT’s next two games and make his case for the starting role in 2023. That quest begins Saturday in Nashville where Vanderbilt hosts the Vols as 14-point home underdogs.
Clark Lea’s team has suddenly won back-to-back SEC games after failing to win a conference contest since 2019. The Commodores won 24-21 at Kentucky as 17-point road underdogs two weeks ago. They followed that up this past Saturday with a 31-24 win over Florida as 14-point home ‘dogs.
Vandy (5-6 SU, 5-6 ATS) can get bowl eligible with a win over UT on Saturday. Tennessee (9-2 SU, 8-3 ATS) has won three in a row over the ‘Dores, but it has limped to a 2-8 ATS mark in the last 10 head-to-head meetings.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern. As of Tuesday morning, the total was 66 points and Vandy was +400 to +425 on the money line.
