KNOXVILLE — Having just helped tune up the nation's 13th-ranked defense with a school-record 724 yards of total offense by his team, Hendon Hooker's first postgame move was reminiscent of the University of Tennessee's last Heisman Trophy finalist.
Climbing the small ladder in front of the Pride of the Southland band, the senior quarterback raised both arms and deftly led a rousing rendition of "Rocky Top" moments after guiding the Volunteers to a 66-24 statement win over outmanned Missouri at Neyland Stadium.
Whether he becomes the program's first winner of college football's most coveted individual award remains to be seen, but as Saturday evening's temperatures quickly dropped toward freezing, Hooker warmed the hearts of Vol Nation with his best Peyton Manning impression.
With two games remaining in the regular season, against South Carolina and Vanderbilt, Hooker has put his name squarely in the Heisman discussion by passing for 2,888 yards and 24 touchdowns — against just two interceptions — and rushing for 405 rushing yards and five scores.
"Hendon, man, really powerful story," second-year UT head coach Josh Heupel said. "A young man who transfers in, doesn't get named the starter right away but continues to pour into his teammates. He becomes the guy, continues to grow, competes every day, shows up to work and becomes a great leader. What a great lesson for everybody inside our locker room."
Typically more matter-of-fact than one who allows his emotions to show during postgame interviews, Heupel then paused between thoughts and was visibly moved as he discussed his team's leader.
"He'll be one of the greats," Heupel added. "However it ends out here, he'll be one of the greats. It's a pretty cool story. The perseverance it takes to go through that as a player. It's a hard thing to do, and it doesn't go unnoticed. Certainly not by me."
A lot can be learned about a team — and its leader — by how they respond after getting knocked down. One week after being frustrated and physically dominated at top-ranked Georgia, the Vols bounced back to prove why they are still in line to claim one of the four berths in the College Football Playoff.
Against a Missouri defense that came into the game allowing an average of 304.1 yards per game, the Vols had piled up 365 by halftime.
When asked about his team's resiliency, the ability to put last week's loss behind them and focus on becoming the first UT team since 2007 to win nine games, Heupel's reasoning began with his quarterback.
"His energy, his ability to speak to his teammates throughout the course of the week, especially early in the week, is a part of our guys handling it," Heupel said. "He affects the program in such a positive way, and his ability to reset from last week is a huge part of that. Great teams have great leadership from within the locker room.
"These guys have been resilient. We didn't just land at this spot. These guys have worked and earned it. Their character, who they are, is revealed every day along the way. It's how we've gotten here. Good teams don't always play perfect, but they do compete in a positive way, and our guys do that."
Although they never trailed, the Vols answered each of Missouri's touchdowns with one of their own to ensure they never lost control of the outcome. When the Tigers closed to within seven late in the second quarter, Hooker countered by engineering a six-play, 75-yard drive he capped with his elusiveness on a 14-yard touchdown run.
And when things got really tight midway through the third quarter, Mizzou closing the gap to 28-24, Hooker again wasted no time in reclaiming momentum with a 68-yard scoring strike to a wide open Jalin Hyatt, the highlight play that sparked a run of 38 unanswered points to close out the game.
"Anything I can do to be a great leader, that's what I try to do," said Hooker, who finished his final home game with 355 passing yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 50 yards and a score, marking the 21st time in 23 games during his two seasons at UT that the former Virginia Tech player has accounted for multiple touchdowns.
"On the field I want to be an explosive playmaker and win ballgames," Hooker continued. "I've been through so much in my college career. It's a blessing just to be able to come out and put the uniform on and showcase what God has blessed me with. It's emotional for me. Then to lead the band, that was cool. That's always been a dream for me. Coming here and seeing Peyton stand up there and conduct the band, I always thought that was the coolest thing ever.
"And that's what we want to do every week, come out and put the ball in the end zone and then strike up the band."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.