STATS: Stetson Bennett vs Hendon Hooker, How they Matchup
The build-up around No. 1 Georgia vs No. 2 Tennessee is centralized around what the Volunteers can do on offense and the Bulldogs being a more complete team. Tennessee's offense has set the college football world on fire while Georgia appears to be able to do a little bit of everything.
How do the two team's quarterbacks match up though? Tennessee's Hendon Hooker is currently the front-runner for the Heisman trophy while Stetson Bennett has been piecing together a quiet but solid season. Although, the stat comparisons might be a bit surprising.
This season, Hooker has thrown for 2,338 yards, 21 touchdowns and has completed his passes 71 percent of the time. Bennett for the Bulldogs has thrown for 2,349 yards, nine touchdowns and a 68 completion percentage. Both quarterbacks have played eight games. Hooker clearly has the edge on touchdowns, but outside of that, the two players are neck and neck.
Another interesting stat line is looking at how each quarterback has faired against top 25 opponents throughout their careers. Both Bennett and Hooker have faced eight total top 25 opponents in their careers, based on opponents who finished ranked by the end of the season and teams who are currently ranked in the polls.
Bennett in his career has thrown for 2,126 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions against ranked opponents. His career averages are 62.3 completion percentage, 265.7 yards and 2.2 touchdowns. On the other side, Hooker has thrown for 1,987 yards, 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions. That averages out to a 64.5 completion rate, 248.4 yards and two touchdowns. Again, a lot closer than many would probably assume.
Looking past just the two players, both Tennessee and Georgia are statistically right there with one another. Georgia ranks 2nd in the nation for total offense averaging 530 yards per game while the Volunteers rank 1st averaging 533 yards per game. Both teams also rank inside the top ten for scoring offense with the Volunteers averaging 49.4 and the Bulldogs 41.8. Clearly, both quarterbacks have helped lead successful offenses up to this point.
One quarterback is getting national attention, and rightfully so, while the other continues to coast along and do his thing as he has for his entire career. Hooker has the upsize and looks the part of a high-caliber quarterback which garners a lot of attention, but as the stats show, in environments like what Saturday will be are when Bennett performs his best. Everything on the line and when the lights shine their brightest.
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