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What Nico Iamaleava does better than Joe Milton for Tennessee football. It matters vs NC State
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- What Nico Iamaleava does better than Joe Milton for Tennessee football. It matters vs NC State
The most eye-opening part of quarterback Nico Iamaleava's record-breaking season debut was his near perfection throwing passes in the middle of the field.
That precision simply wasn't there last season for Tennessee football when Joe Milton was at quarterback, and coach Josh Heupel acknowledged that.
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"(Passing over the middle) has been a part of our offense. Last year, we weren't as efficient in the middle of the field as we wanted to be," Heupel said Monday. "But we had a good start to it this past week."
But before opening that can of worms about Milton, let's look at how good Iamaleava was in the middle of the field and what it means when No. 15 Tennessee (1-0) plays No. 22 NC State (1-0) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to Pro Football Focus , Iamaleava was 14-of-14 passing for 174 yards and three TDs over the middle en route to earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors. The Vols defeated Chattanooga 69-3.
An incomplete pass that Iamaleava threw behind Squirrel White should've been counted as a misfire over the middle. But even including that throw, Iamaleava completed 93% of his passes over the middle, at worst.
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"I thought he was extremely accurate. He had his eyes in the right spot," Heupel said. "He did a really good job of hitting windows, and that's in between defenders and in the second level and over-under balls in the second and third level."
How Nico Iamaleava threaded the needle over middle
Iamaleava was deadly over the middle.
Exhibit A: His 23-yard toss to Chris Brazzell in the first quarter.
Brazzell ran a 15-yard dig route, which turned him into the path of three Chattanooga defenders. Iamaleava saw Brazzell peel his route a little deeper up the field to an open space.
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Iamaleava's pass had enough touch to get over the defenders but enough velocity to reach Brazzell before a safety met him farther up the field. It was the type of throw that opens NFL scouts' eyes.
As a side note, it also demonstrated Brazzell's adept route-running and his rapport with Iamaleava. That's significant for Brazzell, a Tulane transfer playing his first UT game.
Exhibit B: His 4-yard TD pass to tight end Ethan Davis.
It required Iamaleava to carry out a play-action fake to freeze the middle linebacker and then toss a dart to Davis before that linebacker recovered. The window was tight, and timing was critical.
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"You've got a very limited amount of time, so (Iamaleava has) got to be moving fast," Davis said. "He knew where I wanted the ball. I knew where he was going to throw the ball. It's a good chemistry between us."
Iamaleava also made precise passes when Chattanooga gifted him a one-on-one matchup with a receiver over the middle.
Iamaleava connected with Dont'e Thornton on a 36-yard TD pass. Thornton ran a slant, and the safety cheated toward the line of scrimmage when Iamaleava faked a hand-off. Iamaleava hit Thornton in stride for the score.
Similarly, Bru McCoy ran a post route, and the safety again stepped forward, which opened the middle of the field. Iamaleava was on target for a 37-yard completion.
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Why Josh Heupel didn't bench Joe Milton for Nico Iamaleava
Let's go back to that can of worms. Milton struggled to utilize the middle of the field last season. It was a season-long frustration, and the numbers bear that out.
Milton completed less than 37% of his intermediate and deep passes over the middle in 2023, according to PFF.
Iamaleava was 4 of 4 for 106 yards and two TDs on those same intermediate and deep passes over the middle against Chattanooga.
Granted, Chattanooga is an inferior opponent. But Milton was 1 of 6 for 20 yards on those passes over the middle against Austin Peay in Week 2 last season.
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Heupel believed Iamaleava wasn't ready to start as a true freshman early last season. He didn't have a full understanding of the offense yet. And his progressions in the passing game were slower than what he showed against Chattanooga.
Milton, now a rookie with the New England Patriots , was serviceable at the time, and he was hampered by injuries to wide receivers.
But those limitations appear gone with Iamaleava behind center and the receiving corps re-stocked. The middle of the field is now open for business.
How NC State pass defense matches up with Vols
But Iamaleava's success in the opener was a small sample. Chattanooga has inferior talent and didn't change its defense much against the Vols.
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It'll get harder for Iamaleava, beginning with the NC State game.
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"Everybody faces the same challenge," Heupel said. "As a competitor, you can live in what everybody is talking about last week. (But) the reality is you're only as good as your next performance."
NC State had trouble defending the pass in its opener against Western Carolina, an FCS school. Cole Gonzalez passed for 211 yards, two TDs and no interceptions against the Wolfpack .
But NC State's pass defense was better over the middle. Gonzalez was 16-of-25 passing over the middle, but those were short throws for moderate gains.
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Western Carolina's longest completion, a 32-yarder, was along the left sideline. And both TD passes were on the right sideline.
NC State's pass defense touts talent. Aydan White is an All-ACC cornerback. Defensive end Davin Vann is a strong pass rusher. Linebacker Sean Brown is a converted safety, so he knows how to cover receivers over the middle.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . X, formerly known as Twitter @AdamSparks . Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nico Iamaleava: How QB is better than Joe Milton for Tennessee football
