Purdue secondary coach throws shade at Tennessee Vols QB Hendon Hooker
Purdue Boilermakers secondary coach Ron English made some comments this week that he might end up regretting. The Tennessee Vols and the Boilermakers will meet on Thursday in the Music City Bowl in Nashville. Ahead of the game, English spoke with reporters about Tennessee's passing attack. And it sounds like Purdue isn't too concerned about […]
Purdue Boilermakers secondary coach Ron English made some comments this week that he might end up regretting.
The Tennessee Vols and the Boilermakers will meet on Thursday in the Music City Bowl in Nashville. Ahead of the game, English spoke with reporters about Tennessee's passing attack. And it sounds like Purdue isn't too concerned about deep throws from UT quarterback Hendon Hooker.
"The quarterback (Hooker) is very, very effective at 10 yards or less," said English. "Now once he throws past 10 yards he's a 40 percent passer."
Hooker completed 41 percent of his pass attempts of 20 yards or more (via VolQuest). 20 percent of his pass attempts of more than 20 yards went for a touchdown. That means one out of every five of Hooker's pass attempts of 20 yards or more resulted in a touchdown for the Vols.
Additionally, Hooker completed 60 percent of his passes between 10-20 yards in the middle of the field.
So yes, English is correct that Hooker is more accurate on short throws — but that's true of nearly every quarterback who has played at a high level.
If English is discounting Hooker's ability to throw the ball down the field and make big plays, he's making a massive mistake. Tennessee, after all, was No. 25 in the country this season in passing yards per completion and No. 7 in passing efficiency. I'd say the passing game is working just fine for UT.
Hooker and the Volunteers don't need any extra motivation for this game — UT players are anxious to finish the season on a high note.
But it might not be a bad idea for Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel to bring up English's comments to the Vols' offense. It might be the difference between a close game and a blowout. I'm sure Tennessee would love to prove English wrong.
Featured image via Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
