With his first touchdown pass of the game in the first quarter against UT Martin, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker has broken a jaw-dropping Tennessee program record.
Hooker’s touchdown pass on Saturday was his 19th straight game throwing a touchdown for the Big Orange, which passes Heath Shuler’s Tennessee record set at 18 games.
“It’s a blessing,” Hooker said about the record after the win. “I haven’t gotten the chance to talk to Heath Shuler yet. I was talking to Navy, his son, yesterday, and he was telling me, ‘Hey, you have to grab a picture with my dad after you break his record.’ Last week, talking to Heath, he was telling me, ‘Hey, go break that record.’ It’s an honor to get that encouragement from him and to actually go out there and do it.”
The record-setting throw.
19 straight games with a TD pass for Hendon Hooker.
📺 @SECNetwork
📲 https://t.co/nLN6zWmdXC pic.twitter.com/Ivrhla4Ti7— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 22, 2022
Entering Saturday’s game against the Skyhawks, Hooker had 46 total touchdown passes for the Vols. Add in his three first-half passing touchdowns from Saturday and that total is rapidly closing in on 50.
“I saw Heath before the game,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said after the game. “If I had known he (Hendon Hooker) was going for the record, I would have given him some grief before the football game. Hendon’s consistency and growth from the time that he’s gotten here— and you guys have seen that from the time he’s been able to be the starting quarterback—is a great lesson for everyone to continue to invest. The more you put in, the more you get out of it. He’s playing at an elite level right now. It’s exciting that he’s playing that way, but how he handles himself and the maturity that he has is important for our football team.”
Hooker has thrown a touchdown pass in every game he has been the starter for Tennessee. The only game of Hooker’s Tennessee career in which he did not throw for a touchdown was last year’s season debut when the transfer quarterback only had one passing attempt total.
Hendon Hooker ended Saturday’s homecoming game against UT Martin with 75 percent completion, 276 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Hooker also added 28 yards using his legs.
Tennessee defeated UT Martin by a score of 65-24 on Saturday in Neyland Stadium.
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Hendon Hooker has now thrown a touchdown pass in 19 straight games for Tennessee – setting a new program record.
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) October 22, 2022
1️⃣9️⃣ STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A PASS TD@henhook2 breaks the @Vol_Football record for most consecutive games with a TD through the air‼️ pic.twitter.com/wimHtbZKZe
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 22, 2022
