Tennessee Football: 3 takeaways from frustrating loss to Pitt

1. Tennessee has big decision to make at QB

Junior quarterback Joe Milton had an uneven first half before being ruled out due to injury against the Panthers. Milton was able to make a bigger impact running the ball than he did throwing.

Milton was 7-for-12 passing, gaining 50 yards through the air. He was much more explosive on the ground, speeding through the Panthers’ defense for 54 rushing yards during a run early in the second quarter.

Senior Hendon Hooker took over at quarterback once Milton left the game and was effective throwing the ball. Hooker completed 15 of his 21 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Hooker was also a threat on the ground, gaining 48 yards on nine carries.

During post-game comments, Vols Head Coach Josh Heupel did not give a direct answer as to which player may start at quarterback next week.

Based on today’s performance it’s clear that Heupel should start Hooker and give him the keys to the offense.

The Tennessee Volunteers will play Tennessee Tech on Sept. 18 at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN+ / SECN+.