Those final two offensive drives against the Pittsburgh Panthers did more than just cost Tennessee football a shot at a win. It cost Josh Heupel the chance to really have no choice when it comes to determining who to start at quarterback between Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton III.
On the surface, Hooker is the obvious choice. He is completing over 70 percent of his passes and averaging nearly eight yards an attempt, while Milton is completing under 52 percent of his passes and averaging under five and a half yards an attempt.
Even on advanced metrics, Hooker has a better yards per attempt average on passes from behind the line of scrimmage, 0-10 yards and 10-20 yards.