Tennessee Vols QB Nico Iamaleava just shattered an impressive record in his first ever Neyland Stadium start
Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava hasn't wasted any time making a dent in the Tennessee record books. It just took his first-ever home start. Iamaleava set the Tennessee program record for most passing yards in a single half with 314 yards. Iamaleava finished 22/28 with 314 yards and 3 touchdowns in the first half, which […]
Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava hasn't wasted any time making a dent in the Tennessee record books. It just took his first-ever home start.
Iamaleava set the Tennessee program record for most passing yards in a single half with 314 yards.
Iamaleava finished 22/28 with 314 yards and 3 touchdowns in the first half, which just edged Tyler Bray's 313 yards against Troy in 2012 per WBIR.
With Iamaleava in the game, the Vols' offense was basically unstoppable. Tennessee scored three touchdowns in the first eight minutes of the game, going on drives of 65, 5, and 59 yards to quickly put some breathing room between them and the SoCon preseason favorite Mocs.
On their next drive, Iamaleava showed why this year could be very different from 2023 for the Vols' passing game. Donte Thornton, Jr., who finished the first half with 3 catches for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns, ran a simple go route and blew past his defenders.
More notably, Iamaleava lofted a ball in there that hit him in stride for a 59-yard gain. FCS opponent or not, that was top-notch touch, which is something the Vols lacked last year in their passing game.
It was just one game, and against a team the Vols were expected to beat handily. But it's hard to have a much better first home start than what Iamaleava did in the first half alone. And it could be a sign of great things to come for the Vols in 2024.
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