Hendon Hooker leaves game late vs. South Carolina due to injury

A disastrous night somehow got worse for Tennessee. Down 49-31 in the fourth quarter, senior quarterback Hendon Hooker went down with an apparent knee injury. We won’t speculate much, but it didn’t look good for Hooker.

Tennessee had been thoroughly outplayed to that point, with the defense laying a complete egg with everything on the line. The Volunteers were sputtering on offense on the second half, too.

Joe Milton entered the game in relief of Hooker, who walked off the field with assistance from the medical staff. Hooker immediately entered the injury tent, and limped off of the field shortly after.

You can’t draw this up any worse for Tennessee. The season ends tonight in Williams-Brice, and you can simply hope that Hendon Hooker avoided serious injury. His Heisman bid also more than likely ended tonight.

It’s not about next week at Vanderbilt, or even a potential bowl game. It’s about being able to prepare for the NFL Draft, being able to go through the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine.

Update: Josh Heupel didn’t have much to say in regards to the injury.

“I don’t,” Heupel said when asked for an update. “We’ll evaluate him when we get back to Knoxville.”

Senior guard Jerome Carvin’s comments offered plenty of concern.

“It was probably one of the worst things I’ve seen out there,” Carvin said. “Just to know how hard he works, probably the hardest-working guy I’ve ever seen, I ever played with. It’s so unfortunate to happen to a guy like that. But if I know anything, I know he’ll bounce back from it, for sure. Man, he’s a warrior, so I know he will.

“I didn’t get a chance to (talk to him), but I love that kid.”