NORMAN, Okla. – Few things came easily to Nico Iamaleava in the Tennessee quarterback’s first true road game, but he hung tough to lead the No. 7 Vols to a 25-15 win over No. 13 Oklahoma on Saturday.
It was Tennessee’s first road win over a top-15 team since 2006.
The Vols (4-0, 1-0 SEC) overcame injuries to their offensive line, a ferocious Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1) defense and a hungry Sooners crowd watching their first SEC game ever.
Here’s a quick rundown of Iamaleava’s performance against Oklahoma.
Nico Iamaleava’s stats
Iamaleava was 13-of-21 passing for 194 yards, one TD and no interceptions against Oklahoma. But he also lost two fumbles against the Sooners pass rush.
Through four games in the 2024 season, Iamaleava has completed 70% of his passes for 892 yards, seven TDs and two interceptions.
Nico’s best: Dart for TD pass
Iamaleava hit Dont’e Thornton perfectly in stride for a 66-yard TD pass near the end of the first quarter.
The play was beautifully executed. Iamaleava faked a hand-off, which froze the safety on the right side for a moment. Thornton cut his route to the middle, ran away from cornerback Kani Walker, caught the pass and sprinted to the end zone.
It was a very timely touchdown because Oklahoma had just tied the game 3-3. Tennessee scored 19 unanswered points from there.
Nico’s worst: Two fumbles
Most of the blame for Iamaleava’s two fumbles goes to the offensive line, especially the first one. That’s when left tackle Dayne Davis whiffed trying to block a blitzing safety, who struck Iamaleava and jarred the ball loose.
But Iamaleava also fumbled when the Oklahoma pass rush engulfed him late in the second quarter. He stood tall in the pocket too long, which made him vulnerable for another fumble.
Fortunately for Iamaleava, UT’s defense forced a turnover on the next play in both instances.
But Iamaleava must adjust when his offensive line is deficient. Left tackle Lance Heard missed the game due to an injury, and right tackle John Campbell left the game with an injury in the second quarter. Backups Dayne Davis and Larry Johnson played most of the game at the tackle spots.
Grade: C
Iamaleava’s two fumbles, although not entirely his fault, could’ve been costly if Tennessee’s defense hadn’t bailed him out.
But Iamaleava made a few pinpoint passes that either put the Vols in the end zone or set them up for scores. And he didn’t get impatient and force anything when the offense sputtered.
For that, Iamaleava should be praised for his maturity and control. He did what was needed to get a well-earned road win against a stout defense.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66eff069e48f462ba87cadb5ee3e723d&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Funiversity-of-tennessee%2Ffootball%2F2024%2F09%2F21%2Fnico-iamaleava-stats-tennessee-football-oklahoma%2F75172994007%2F&c=15844710961261903309&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-21 23:21:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
