It was a strong first start for Tennessee freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the Vols’ Citrus Bowl win over Iowa.
The highly touted quarterback completed 12-of-19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdowns in the win while adding 27 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. And those rushing stats were how Iamaleava tied a program record in his first career start.
Iamaleava’s three rushing touchdowns tied a Tennessee record for most individual rushing touchdowns in a bowl game. The performance tied Josh Dobbs’ total in the 2016 Music City Bowl and James “Little Man” Stewart’s total in the 1994 Gator Bowl.
For his strong performance, Iamaleava earned Citrus Bowl MVP honors as the Vols’ dominated No. 17 Iowa in a 35-0 victory.
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Tennessee’s rushing attack was one of the biggest surprises of its Citrus Bowl win with Iamaleava being far from the Vols’ only ball carrier to have success on the ground. Iowa entered the game allowing just 102 rushing yards per game— a mark that ranked 11th nationally.
Without its top two ball carries and two starting offensive linemen, Tennessee rushed for 253 yards led by sophomore Dylan Sampson who totaled 133 rushing yards in his first career start.
Tennessee’s season ending victory over Iowa gives them a 9-4 (4-4 SEC) record in Josh Heupel’s third season as head coach. During Heupel’s tenure, the Vols now boast a 27-12 (14-10 SEC) record.
The season ending win and Iamaleava’s performance provide optimism ahead of Heupel’s fourth season. Tennessee hops it won’t be the last program record that Iamaleava sets in his career.
