‘They say there were some bad calls’ – Alabama still can’t accept their loss to Tennessee in 2022 according to Hendon Hooker
Some of the Alabama players who were part of the Crimson Tide’s 52-49 loss to the Tennessee Vols in 2022 still can’t accept the defeat, according to former UT quarterback Hendon Hooker. Hooker, who was signed to the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad this week, met with reporters and he was asked if he’s talked to […]
Some of the Alabama players who were part of the Crimson Tide’s 52-49 loss to the Tennessee Vols in 2022 still can’t accept the defeat, according to former UT quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Hooker, who was signed to the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad this week, met with reporters and he was asked if he’s talked to Panthers starting quarterback Bryce Young about the Vols’ memorable win against the Crimson Tide in 2022.
Young started at quarterback for Alabama in that matchup while Hooker received the start for Tennessee.
A reporter asked Hooker about the 2022 Tennessee vs. Alabama game after noting that Panthers head coach Dave Canales joked that the former Vols quarterback probably hadn’t brought it up to Young
“I think we might’ve talked about it, like, once since we’ve played that game,” said Hooker. “At the Rookie Premiere. But they say there were some bad calls in that game. I don’t know about that, but I know we won.”
Despite a difference of opinion on the officiating in Tennessee’s win against Bama, Hooker and Young have a close relationship.
“Me and Bryce have been cool [since] before the draft process, going back to the Manning Passing Academy,” noted Hooker. “We would have long conversations about play calls, about changing protections, about what we’ve seen in IDing the defense, and really just playing at a high level. I remember traveling to the combine, me and Bryce, we might have talked for maybe two hours on just pass protection in the airport. But we’ve had a pretty good bond for a pretty long time.”
There was a defensive pass interference call that wiped an interception off the board for Alabama in the fourth quarter of that loss to Tennessee in 2022 — that’s probably the call that Bama players are referencing.
It was a call that could’ve gone either way. But it went Tennessee’s way and, as Hooker noted, the Vols won the game.
I’ve seen Tennessee lose plenty of games where a close call went against them in the fourth quarter. Alabama, however, isn’t used to having the breaks go against them, which is why I suspect many of their players still feel some kind of way about that loss in Knoxville in 2022.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Panthers head coach Dave Canales sounds really excited about adding former Tennessee Vols QB Hendon Hooker to Carolina’s roster
It didn’t take long for former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker to find a new home in the NFL after getting waived by the Detroit Lions. Hooker, who is from Greensboro, NC, was officially signed to the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad on Thursday morning. On Wednesday, Panthers head coach Dave Canales spoke to reporters about […]
