Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava is dealing with some harsh criticism for the first time in his collegiate career after UT's uninspiring performance in a 19-14 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks. 

Iamaleava didn't have a terrible game — he didn't turn the ball over and he didn't have any meltdown moments (the last play of the game notwithstanding) — but he didn't play great, either. 

The former five-star recruit held onto the ball too long on numerous plays, he failed to effectively use his legs in several situations, and he missed a few throws that he would undoubtedly love to have back. 

Tennessee's offensive ineptitude wasn't all on Iamaleava — the offensive line didn't play well at all and the Vols could never get much going in the running game (outside of the first two drives in the second half). Iamaleava, however, didn't elevate the offense as much as fans and media expected him to against the Razorbacks. 

So why was that the case after we've seen Iamaleava look stellar over the first few starts of his career? 

The answer was incredibly obvious after rewatching the game — the California native played with no confidence (or at least not enough confidence) against Arkansas. 

Iamaleava looked unsure at times of where to go with the ball. His pocket presence was shaky. And he waited too long to throw the ball on several occasions, resulting in tough chances for his wide receivers. It felt like Iamaleava was thinking too much instead of just playing his game. It also seemed like he was more worried about not turning the ball over than making a play. 

That's not how any quarterback is going to find success in Josh Heupel's offensive system, which is something that Vols offensive coordinator Joey Halzle has noted numerous times over the last couple of years. 

"That's been my focus the whole time, telling [Nico], 'you're going to make mistakes.' So, awesome, now that we know that, there's no reason to play timid," said Halzle early last year. "If we know we're going to make this mistake, we're going to throw some picks this spring as we're learning and figuring out new defensive structures. So there's nothing to play timid about if we know that's coming. Just going out there and rip it. It's fun to watch him when he lets that thing go and when he's just playing confident out there."

Iamaleava simply didn't have the right level of confidence on Saturday night. Maybe it was because the entire offense had an off night. Or maybe it was the surprising looks he was getting from the Razorbacks' defense. Whatever the case, it's something that has to be fixed moving forward.

And look, Iamaleava isn't the first quarterback to have a "welcome to college football" type of game. And he won't be the last. The important thing for Iamaleava is that he can't let the loss to Arkansas define him as a player. He can't listen to the outside noise and the criticism — because none of that noise has any impact on how he'll play in his next game.

Iamaleava should have a chip on his shoulder after that loss to Arky. He should be eager to show that the loss to the Razorbacks is not who he is as a quarterback and as a playmaker. But the only way to do that is to play confident. Iamaleava and the Vols have to flush the loss to Arkansas. They can't dwell on it. And they can't let it impact how they play against Florida on Saturday. Tennessee needs to get its swagger back before the Gators come to town. And that starts with the starting quarterback. 

Nico just has to remember who he is — he's a talented and toolsy former five-star recruit with first round NFL talent. He's just gotta go out there and "let it rip". 

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