Nico Iamaleava immediately shows what Tennessee Vols' offense has been missing
If there's one thing you can say about the Tennessee Volunteers' offense in 2023, it's that it's been consistently inconsistent. That, unfortunately, began at the quarterback position. Joe Milton came into the season with a lot of hype after showing off his big arm in the Vols' final two games in 2022 against Vanderbilt and […]
If there's one thing you can say about the Tennessee Volunteers' offense in 2023, it's that it's been consistently inconsistent.
That, unfortunately, began at the quarterback position. Joe Milton came into the season with a lot of hype after showing off his big arm in the Vols' final two games in 2022 against Vanderbilt and Clemson.
However, that talent never translated into consistent production on the field when he was given back the reins to the offense this year. He had moments where he looked in control and where he was productive. However, there were far too many moments where he looked indecisive and was unable to complete simple passes as the offense stagnated.
But perhaps the thing that stood out the most on Monday was a difference in pocket awareness and instincts. And that's where Nico Iamaleava showed on Monday in Tennessee's 35-0 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes that he is already a cut above his predecessor.
The Vols' talented freshman looked incredibly comfortable in the pocket for a player making his first career start. He calmly went through his reads. He routinely sensed pressure coming and made subtle shifts in the pocket to dodge rushers. He took off repeatedly with no hesitation and picked up yardage in front of him with his legs when it was there.
Oh, yeah, and he pulled it down and trotted into the end zone three times, which tied a Tennessee record for rushing touchdowns in a single bowl game with Joshua Dobbs (2016 Music City Bowl) and James Stewart (1994 Gator Bowl).
He also took some sacks, which isn't a shocking thing, given the offensive line was a patchwork unit without multiple starters. However, he avoided making the big mistake and followed his offensive coordinator's words from last week about avoiding forcing things and making mistakes while trying to press in a situation.
Iamaleava, who claimed bowl MVP honors, finished with a stat line of 12/19 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown with 15 rushes for 27 yards and three touchdowns. Overall, he looked in full control of the offense, and Tennessee ended up putting up the most points of the season against one of the best defenses in all of college football.
It was a performance that should give Tennessee fans a very high level of confidence about next fall going into the offseason.
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