FORGET-HIM-NOT
A rep as having the strongest arm in college, Milton can fly
Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton took the shotgun snap, planted his right foot and sprinted through the defense untouched until a shoestring tackle tripped him at the 5-yard line.
In 2021, that 54-yard run by Milton against Pittsburgh was eye-opening. And a week earlier, Milton rushed for two TDs and tossed only one TD pass.
It was also two years ago in his first stint at the Vols’ starter.
Since then, Milton has gained a reputation as having the strongest throwing arm in college football. It’s easy to forget that he also can run.
It raises the question about how much No. 10 Tennessee will rely on Milton’s legs in its season opener against Virginia on Saturday (11 a.m. CT/noon ET, ABC) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Milton could be a weapon running the ball. But freshman Nico Iamaleava is the only other scholarship quarterback on the roster, so Milton must guard against injuries.
Coach Josh Heupel said Milton knows that there’s an appropriate time to run for extra yards.
“We talk about that with all our (quarterbacks),” Heupel said Wednesday. “Situational football is going to dictate that you have to go pick things up and in some ways sacrifice your body at certain moments in ball games.
“At the same time, you need to take care of yourself. So (you need to) understand when you’ve drained everything that you can out of a play — obviously, unless it’s third down or in the red zone.”
Milton had longer run than Hendon Hooker
There are two key takeaways from that 54-yard run by Milton.
No. 1, it was longer than any rush by Hendon Hooker — who ultimately replaced Milton, started the past two seasons and earned the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 as a dualthreat runner and passer.
In fact, it’s the longest rush by a UT quarterback since Joshua Dobbs broke a 70-yarder against Missouri in 2016.
So don’t overlook Milton’s dualthreat ability.
Milton runs the ball forward and fast
No. 2, Milton’s 54-yard run was on a quarterback draw, which utilized his straightforward running style.
Hooker was an elusive runner, which made him effective on readoption plays. But Milton is more of a downhill runner. Last season, UT’s play selection demonstrated that.
In 2022, Milton ran a quarterback draw five times, quarterback sweeps twice and an option keeper to the outside once. Those runs took advantage of Milton’s straightforward running style and his 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame.
UT avoided plays where Milton would have to start, stop and juke defenders. He had only one rush attempt on a read-option play. Of course, that could change after an offseason of evaluating Milton’s strengths. But it’s a worthwhile starting point to determine how effective he can be on the ground.
Milton’s passing is still the priority
“Situational football is going to dictate that you have to go pick things up and in some ways sacrifice your body at certain moments in ball games.
Don’t misunderstand Milton’s value to this offense. It begins and ends with his throwing arm.
After replacing an injured Hooker last season, Milton won the Orange Bowl MVP by tossing three TD passes. He can zip intermediate passes into tight windows. And he can throw a football farther than any quarterback in college football on deep passes.
In two seasons, Milton has tossed 12 TD passes and no interceptions, both as a starter and backup.
But his size, strength and running style could make Milton a threat in the open field and near the goal line.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . Twitter @AdamSparks .