(photo by Riley Haltom/The Volunteer Channel and Rock Solid Sports)
By Riley Haltom
Knoxville, TN – The Tennessee Volunteers got their 2024 campaign started at home against the Chattanooga Mocs, winning by a score of 69-3. The win over the in-state FCS foe takes the 15th-ranked Vols to 1-0. Here are my takeaways from the dominant win.
Nico Iamaleava Impresses
Headlining the win for the Vols was five-star redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava getting his first regular-season start on Rocky Top. The quarterback from Long Beach, California tied a program record for most passing yards in a single half with 313, tying Tyler Bray’s record of 313 set in 2012 against Troy. Iamaleava added two touchdown throws and completed 79 percent of his passes against the Mocs. Iamaleava spoke about finally reaching gameday.
“It felt great, man,” Iamaleava said. “Just going out there competing with my guys. You know we put a lot of work into this for this year, so you know, it felt good to go out there and display what we’ve been working on.”
Dylan Sampson the Clear RB1
Junior RB Dylan Sampson impressed as the starter, leading the backfield with 124 yards on 12 attempts and scoring a hat trick. He added three catches for 29 yards. Sampson scored the first touchdown of the day after rushing for 36 yards on the opening drive. Sampson reflected on missing some of training camp and how he prepared for this game.
“I think the main thing I wanted to stay focused on was being present and intentional, so when it did come to the game nobody could say that it looked like I missed a beat.”
Tyre West and Defensive Success
The Tennessee defense came up big during the game, forcing a turnover, a forced fumble by Tyre West, recovered by Joshua Jospehs on the Mocs opening drive. West added a sack, a quarterback hit, and two tackles for loss. West recalled what was going through his mind on his sack.
“The whole time, I was thinking ‘Please don’t throw the ball’,” West said. Speaking on the defense as a whole, West said “All of us were just going to the ball. Everyone was playing like their hair was on fire.”
Special Teams Score
Jordan Ross was a big part of the defense’s success but came up even bigger on special teams. Chattanooga’s Heath Jehu attempted to punt from midfield but had his punt blocked by Jordan Ross who then picked up the loose ball and returned it all the way for a touchdown, scoring the final points in the contest. Head coach Josh Heupel was impressed with the way the special teams played.
“Specialists did a really really good job for for most of the day.”
Shaky Two-Minute Performance
If you want to nitpick something negative about the Vols performance, it would be the way the offense played after the two-minute warning going into halftime. A couple of penalties, a sack, poor pass protection kept the Vols from scoring on that drive. Heupel took note of the poor execution on that drive.
“We have got to learn how to stay dialed in and finish a half, a quarter of the football game but all in all, a good day.”
The Vols will be back in action next Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina as they take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack in Bank of America Stadium for the Duke’s Mayo Classic at 7:30 p.m.