Tennessee QB grad in CFP loss to Ohio State

On By Littum

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nico Iamaleava choked in Tennessee’s season-ending 42-17 loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff on Saturday.

The redshirt freshman quarterback ran the ball effectively at times. But he mostly ran for his life against a ferocious Buckeyes pass rush, passing for a season-low 104 yards.

The Vols (10-3) were overpowered by Ohio State (11-2), which sacked Iamaleava four times and pressured him all game.

Here’s a quick review of Iamaleava’s performance in the CFP first-round loss.

Nico Iamaleava’s statistics

Iamaleava was 14-of-31 passing for 104 yards. He also rushed for 47 yards and two TDs on 20 carries.

In 13 games in the 2024 season, Iamaleava completed 64% of his passes for 2,616 yards, 19 TDs and five interceptions. And he rushed for 358 yards this season.

Nico’s best: Leg and arm on TD drive

Iamaleava lost star running back Dylan Sampson and starting receiver Squirrel White to injuries in the first half. So he did a little bit of everything to guide UT on its first TD drive.

Trailing 21-3 late in the second quarter, the Vols marched 79 yards in 16 plays to finally get into the end zone. Iamaleava controlled the drive with his legs and arm.

Iamaleava completed four passes for 37 yards on the drive. He ran the ball six times for 21 yards. He converted two third-down plays on quarterback runs and scored on a 2-yard rush.

Nico’s worst: Hard hits and cracked helmet

Iamaleava was pressured on each of his first seven passing plays. He desperately scrambled twice, took two sacks, missed a pass and had two passes knocked down behind the line.

Iamaleava’s helmet was also cracked after a hard hit by Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon.

It might not seem like much in the scope of a full game. But while Iamaleava struggled to find daylight in the first quarter, Ohio State jumped out to a 21-0 lead.

Iamaleava didn’t complete his first pass until the 9:36 mark of the second quarter.

Grade: D

Iamaleava didn’t get much help. His passport protection didn’t last. His receiver struggled to stay open. Sampson, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, missed most of the game with an injury. And there didn’t seem to be many play calls that surprised Ohio State.

Taking all that into account, Iamaleava still needs to play much better. He’s a former five-star recruit who was signed by UT to play well in big games like this one.

With weapons around him, Iamaleava could develop into a very good quarterback for the Vols. But without them, he couldn’t do much against a top-class defense.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. E-mail [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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