Former Tennessee teammates Hendon Hooker and Jabari Small traded their orange uniforms for blue ones as they participated in the Detroit Lions’ NFL preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night during the Hall of Fame game.
Neither Hooker nor Small received starting nods in Thursday’s game, but they did end up playing in the same backfield for the entire second half.
The game was lopsided in the Chargers’ favor as Los Angeles ended up winning by a score of 34-7.
Small tallied a team-high 11 carries on the day and ran for 35 yards in total. He also caught one pass for six yards.
Hooker, who came in for the third and fourth quarters, completed 3-of-6 passes for 18 yards and one interception. The pick came on a line drive deep ball down the middle of the field, which actually ended up in wide receiver Dominic Lovett’s hands initially. Los Angeles’ Myles Purchase ended up ripping the ball away from Lovett and returned the ball to the other side of the field, only to be tackled by Hooker on the play.
“It looked like it was a catch all the way,” NBC announcer Cris Collinsworth said on the broadcast. “The ball was just taken right out of his hands. Stunning interception by Myles Purchase.”
myles rly called dibs
📺 | @nflonnbc pic.twitter.com/ICW5MNHDBc
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 1, 2025
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Hooker is entrenched in a backup quarterback battle with veteran journeyman Kyle Allen this preseason. Allen started the game for Detroit, but didn’t have a showing that instilled any confidence. He went 9-of-14 for 91 yards while throwing a pair of interceptions.
All in all, the quarterback’s three interceptions combined for five total turnovers for the Lions in their first preseason game. They also had three fumbles, but one that came from Jabari Small ended up being recovered by the offense. The other two were lost.
Even though Hooker’s interception wasn’t completely on him by any stretch, Lions head coach Dan Campbell had a strong message for his offense after a sloppy showing on Thursday: “You’re wearing Lions gear, you’ve got to take care of the ball, or it’s going to be hard to keep you around.”
Despite the lopsided outcome, it was fun to see Hooker and Small in the same backfield again. During the Vols’ explosive 2022 football season, the duo accounted for nearly 3,900 total yards and 45 total touchdowns for Tennessee.
While it wasn’t the showing that either would’ve wanted, they’ll get more opportunities throughout the preseason. The Lions’ next game will come on Friday, Aug. 8, in a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. That game will take place in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is the same location as Tennessee football’s season opener against Syracuse on Aug. 30.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee NFL preseason coverage, such as Joe Milton’s shot with the Cowboys and Hooker and Small’s journey with the Lions.
