Tennessee football picked up a 35-0 victory over Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Monday.
Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava received game MVP for his four-touchdown performance. Three of Iamaleava’s scores came on the ground, and he also added 151 yards through the air on 12 completions.
It’s no secret that Iamaleava’s start was one of the most anticipated games by a UT quarterback in quite some time. As all eyes were on No. 8 Monday, watching the freshman run for three scores and lead Tennessee to a shutout win over one of the best defenses in the nation, there were many reactions to Iamaleava’s performance on social media.
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Some of the best ones, including posts from VFLs Hendon Hooker and Trey Smith, among others, are below.
🎱 is The Chosen One
— Hendon Hooker (@henhook2) January 1, 2024
NICO!
— Trey Smith (@treysmith) January 1, 2024
I’m just kidding with all the crazy Nico hype but it’s promising that he’s looking so effective against what is supposed to be an elite Iowa defense.
Iowa ranks 3rd in the country in scoring defense, allows just 13.2 points per game.
Tennessee managed 14 points in four drives.
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) January 1, 2024
Iowa gave up 4 rush TDs all season.
Nico has 3️⃣ today 😮💨 @Vol_Football pic.twitter.com/vekdgpj8cM
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 1, 2024
— cordarrelle patterson (@ceeflashpee84) January 1, 2024
Shout out to Heupel and Tennessee, man. I doubted with a freshman QB against a good defense, but they’re cooking.
— parker fleming (@statsowar) January 1, 2024
Let the Nico Iamaleava hype begin. It’s not smart to fall into the bowl game performance hype. However, this was a very solid performance against a really good defense, and it should make Tennessee fans very excited about the future.
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) January 1, 2024
I am so on board the Nico Iamaleava hype train.
CFB’s 1st Anime QB.
— Jack McGuire (@JackMacCFB) January 1, 2024
Nico Iamaleava is putting on a show in his first career start for @Vol_Football 😎🍊 pic.twitter.com/96VL42U9Q2
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 1, 2024
True freshman 5⭐️ QB Nico Iamaleava showed out in his first collegiate start in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl 🏈
-12/19
-151 passing yards
-27 rushing yards
-4 total touchdowns (1 passing, 3 rushing)
-35-0 win over IowaThe future of Tennessee football has arrived pic.twitter.com/e93kCszmrJ
— 247Sports (@247Sports) January 1, 2024
Nico is going to be a damn star at Tennessee.
Vols got something special with him.
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) January 1, 2024
One Response
Takes eleven to make a good quarter back successful. It takes natural ability and hours practicing with receivers to be great. Injuries and the quarter back / receivers becoming targets can change success to failure.