How many times did Hendon Hooker slide? The answer impacts Tennessee football's 2022 plan

Guess how many times Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker opted to slide among his 166 rushing attempts last season.

The answer is why Vols coaches are urging him to go cleats-first in a way that’d make UT baseball coach Tony Vitello proud.

That number is also why Hooker is making promises about his play that will be difficult to keep.

And the answer is why the senior's stubbornness or competitive spirit — depending on the situation — could be debated when the Vols kick off the 2022 season.

The answer is zero.

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In reviewing game film of every Hooker rush from last season, not one sliding attempt was found. He ran out of bounds only 11 times without taking a direct hit.

And once Hooker dove head-first while eluding defenders. But that was intended to stop the game clock after he gained a first down just before halftime against South Carolina.

“I’m getting a lot of ‘you need to slide’ or ‘you need to throw it away,’ ” Hooker said during spring practice. “But I really just have a passion for the game to give my all on every play. That’s really the only reason that I don’t slide.”

Hooker was credited with 616 net yards rushing last season, including 816 yards gained and 200 yards lost. When discounting sacks, he was UT’s leading rusher. And he remained relatively healthy en route to a record-breaking season.

So why ask him to slide at all? It’s a complicated question that Hooker and coaches are pondering this offseason.

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Coaches giving Hooker rules for when to slide

Hooker hates sliding. It goes against his competitive code to grind out every yard, fight for the first down and never give up.

It’s admirable. But the Vols need him healthy to have a chance of an encore after becoming the highest scoring team in program history last season. So UT coaches took a deep dive into game film with Hooker to adjust his style of play.

“We watched every single broken play (Hooker) had from the entire year,” said quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle, explaining the parameters Hooker should play by. “Here, it’s third-and-3, so go get (the first down). Here, it’s first-and-10, so don’t go from second-and-6 to second-and-5 by trying to push it (for 1 more yard).

“Sit down, get out (of bounds) and take that hit off yourself.”

But that’s easier said than done. And it requires a strict synergy between Hooker, Halzle, offensive coordinator Alex Golesh and coach Josh Heupel, the playcaller.

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How much is too much running for Hooker?

UT coaches face a catch-22 in trying to maximize Hooker’s play-making ability while asking him to slide.

Hooker had at least 74 rushing attempts on called quarterback run plays or read options, where he decided to keep the ball rather than handing it to running back. The Vols can’t afford to abandon that part of the offense.

“The quarterback run game, with a healthy Hendon, looked different (because) you’ve got to defend us differently,” Golesh said. “Take that dimension out of the game, and we’re uniquely different. So we need to continue to develop the quarterback run game.”

Calling those run plays encourages Hooker to approach the game like a running back. But a closer look shows that he gained 385 yards by scrambling on pass plays, much of it coming after initial contact.

“(Hooker) knows he’s going to make plays when you don’t call runs,” Halzle said. “When he’s dropping back, he’s going to go make plays with his feet all over the field. He has a good understanding of some of the hits he took last year (and) of how he can prevent that.”

Some of UT’s biggest gains came on Hooker’s scrambles. So why ask him to throw the ball away rather than tuck it and run? Or why ask him to slide when breaking one tackle could spring him for a big play?

The possibilities make Hooker sliding more than a down-and-distance decision.

Fake sliding is now illegal, not that Hooker cares

A new NCAA rule will make it illegal for a ball carrier to fake a feet-first slide. If they dip their knee or simulate sliding, officials will declare the runner down at that spot.

It’s dubbed the “Kenny Pickett rule” because the Pittsburgh quarterback faked sliding en route to a 58-yard touchdown run in the ACC title game last season.

But don’t count on the rule change impacting Hooker’s game. After all, he must slide for the first time before faking it has any effect.

“But I’m definitely going to get some sliding in there, for sure,” Hooker said of his offseason work. “Just taking hits off my body is good — not only for myself but for the team — so that I can rock and roll every day. I’m just trying to stay healthy.”

Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football hopes quarterback Hendon Hooker can learn to slide