Former national championship head coach Urban Meyer had a lot of praise for Tennessee starting quarterback Hendon Hooker after an incredible win against rival Alabama.

“It’s all the quarterback. If you trust that quarterback you take a shot right there,” Meyer said during Urban’s Take with Tim May, per On3. “His name is all over the country now and it should be. But that was checkmate moment. That was one of those moments you practice and you never sometimes get until that one moment you get it, and he called the right play but more importantly the players executed.”

Meyer referred to the combination of plays the Volunteer’s head coach, Josh Heupel, went with late into the game. Critical 3rd downs and difficult field position normally limits what you’re comfortable with calling, but as Meyer points out, it’s all about “trust”.

“So that was a decision that I would have made as well if you have a quarterback you trust,” Meyer said while breaking down the final moments of the game. “If you have a young quarterback then you get to overtime and keep playing.”

Hooker looks to be a legitimate contender for the Heisman with only Ohio State’s CJ Stroud ahead of him in the odds. In Heupel’s offense, Hooker and the Vols lead the nation in total offensive volume, yards per game and have scored 47.7 points per game.

 

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