Tennessee players reveal what it felt like to smoke cigars after snapping losing streak to Alabama

Cigar smoke filled the air in Neyland Stadium on Saturday night as Tennessee celebrated its first win against Alabama in 15 seasons. It is part of the rivalry’s tradition for the winning team to light up cigars postgame, and several Volunteers players relished the chance to do so for the first time.

However, there was at least one holdout. Star quarterback Hendon Hooker admitted in the postgame press conference that he didn’t smoke a cigar, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy the moment.

“I didn’t smoke a cigar, but I did take a picture with my teammates,” Hooker said. “…I just don’t smoke cigars.”

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Hooker’s response prompted defensive back Trevon Flowers to chime in immediately after with an answer that elicited laughs from several media members.

“I definitely smoked a cigar,” he said. “It’s tradition, man. This is a feeling I’ll probably never get back as far as playing Alabama in a regular season game. This is my last year, so it’s crazy and an amazing feeling.”

Hooker finished Saturday’s game 21-of-30 passing for 385 yards, five touchdowns and an interception in addition to 56 yards rushing. Meanwhile, Flowers led the defense with 11 total tackles.

However, it was kicker Chase McGrath who provided the biggest moment of the day, kicking the game-winning 40-yard field goal as time expired. After that, there was no way the sixth-year senior was going to miss out on the chance to celebrate with a cigar, and he noted what the moment means to players like him who have been in Knoxville for so long.

“I absolutely smoked a cigar,” he said. “For guys like my holder Paxton (Brooks), who has been in this program since 2018, for the fan base, (I) just had to smoke a cigar with them because it was such an awesome memory to get that win for the fan base, the guys, the team. It was a blessing.”

Once the cigar smoke settles, Tennessee will have a game against Tennessee-Martin at noon ET on Saturday. But another massive challenge awaits the Volunteers soon, as they will take on No. 1 Georgia in a little less than three weeks on Nov. 5.