Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel explains Hendon Hooker's struggles against Georgia

Velus Jones Jr. ran into a gap in the Georgia defense Saturday.

The Tennessee football wide receiver kept running, fleeing into open field until he left his feet near the 35 at Neyland Stadium. Hendon Hooker’s throw slipped barely beyond Jones’ grasp on the second play of the game.

Hooker took his mouthguard out and leaned his head to side, knowing he’d missed a first-strike opportunity against the Bulldogs. 

“We were just a little bit off,” Vols coach Josh Heupel said.

Hooker had an uncharacteristic performance in Tennessee’s 41-17 loss to the No. 1 Bulldogs. The quarterback was 24-for-37 passing for 244 yards and a touchdown.

He threw a costly interception and had a fourth-quarter fumble, his first start with multiple turnovers. Georgia put consistent pressure on Hooker, who ran 17 times and often had to scramble.

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Heupel posed a few possible reasons for Hooker’s struggles for the Vols (5-5, 3-4 SEC) against Georgia (10-0, 8-0).

He said that Hooker might have been “juiced up” by the matchup or was in the incorrect body position as he missed some downfield throws. Heupel also pointed to Georgia’s defensive front affecting Hooker “whether the pressure was real or he was feeling the rush from previous plays.”

“The interception was that,” Heupel said. “And there were a couple other throws that sailed on him.”

Hooker threw a second-quarter interception when it was a 10-10 game a play after he was walloped by Georgia linebacker Quay Walker. He completed that attempt to tight end Princeton Fant, then launched a pass for Jones over his head.

Georgia cornerback Derion Kendrick intercepted the pass, Hooker’s second interception since he took over the starting job against Tennessee Tech on Sept. 18.

“We just didn’t connect on that one,” Jones said. “Usually we connect. We will clean that up in practice. There is not really much that comes with that. We just didn’t connect that time.”

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Hooker fumbled after UT reached the Georgia 7 in the fourth quarter while trailing 34-10. Linebacker Channing Tindall got his third sack of the day, knocking the ball away from Hooker as he rolled him to the ground.

Georgia recovered and Hooker’s day wrapped up as Heupel inserted former starter Joe Milton.

“You lose the turnover battle 2-0,” Heupel said. “Can’t do that. The red zone for us, offensively, not good enough. Change those two things and you have a chance to play it down to the end.”

Hooker, a Virginia Tech graduate transfer, has been largely efficient and proficient as Tennessee’s quarterback. He had thrown 19 touchdowns and one interception in seven starts entering Saturday. A week earlier, he threw for a career-high 316 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-42 win at Kentucky.

Tennessee ultimately posted more yards (387) and points against Georgia’s top-ranked defense than any other team this season.

But Saturday was a stark contrast from the tremendous showing in Lexington for Hooker. The senior missed throws he has made consistently in recent weeks as Tennessee struggled to mount a consistent offense.

He whiffed a long attempt intended for Ramel Keyton in the second quarter, mirroring the miss to Jones to open the game as the Vols flashed potential against Georgia but lacked results.

“Football is a game of ups and downs,” Jones said. ‘Nothing is always going to be up. You just have to move forward and look forward to the rest of the game and stuff. Mistakes happen. That is the beauty of football. You can make up for it. We fought hard. 

“Hendon fought hard. That is all you can do in that situation is not give up.”

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.