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QB Nico Iamaleava named Citrus Bowl MVP as Tennessee football routs Iowa
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- QB Nico Iamaleava named Citrus Bowl MVP as Tennessee football routs Iowa
ORLANDO, Fla. – Tennessee 's Nico Iamaleava era started with a bang in a Cheez-It Citrus Bowl win.
No. 21 Vols beat No. 17 Iowa 35-0 behind a steady performance from the freshman quarterback in his first start on Monday at Camping World Stadium.
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Iamaleava tied a UT bowl record with three rushing TDs. And he was 12-of-19 passing for 151 yards, one TD and no interceptions. He was named the Citrus Bowl MVP.
The Vols built a comfortable lead and smothered the Hawkeyes ' anemic offense. UT outgained Iowa 383 yards to 173.
It was a coronation for Iamaleava. The former five-star recruit had played only 52 snaps all season. But he took over the starting job from Joe Milton, who opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.
The Vols finished with a 9-4 record and their second straight win under coach Josh Heupel. But fittingly, this victory came on New Year's Day, as Iamaleava's potential points UT into the future.
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Here are seven observations from the Vols' Citrus Bowl win over Iowa (10-4) amid a crowd of 43,861.
Nico Iamaleava the runner broke Vols record
Iamaleava showed glimpses of his elite talent, as much on the ground as in the air.
He scrambled and rocketed a 27-yard pass down the sideline to Ramel Keyton. He broke a 19-yard run that set up one of his TDs. And he stiff-armed an Iowa defender to scramble for a first down.
Iamaleava's three rushing TDs tied the UT bowl record held by quarterback Joshua Dobbs (2016 Music City Bowl) and running back James Stewart (1994 Gator Bowl). And he had the controlled performance that UT needed to win his first start.
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Iamaleava became the fourth true freshman quarterback to start a bowl game in UT history, joining Peyton Manning (Gator), Casey Clausen (Cotton) and Tyler Bray (Music City). But unlike Iamaleava, those quarterbacks had already started at least a half season before the bowl game.
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the Citrus Bowl NCAA College football game between Tennessee and Iowa in Orlando, Fla., Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.
Tennessee exposed Iowa's vaunted defense
UT exploited weaknesses in Iowa's defense, which was touted as one of the best in college football this season.
Iowa had the No. 4 scoring defense in the nation, allowing 13.2 points per game. UT scored 35 points, the most allowed by the Hawkeyes this season.
Iowa was ranked No. 5 in total defense, allowing 274.8 yards per game. UT surpassed that mark by the third quarter and finished with more than 380 yards.
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Vols' shorthanded ground attack ran over Hawkeyes
Most importantly, UT rushed for 232 yards against an Iowa defense that allowed only 102.5 yards per game. Dylan Sampson rushed for 133 yards on 20 carries. Cam Seldon added 55 yards.
That's even more impressive considering UT played without two starting offensive linemen due to injuries and running backs Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small, who opted out.
Iowa had allowed only four rushing TDs all season, the fewest in the nation. But UT scored three times on the ground.
Each of UT's first two TD drives featured only one completed pass. Sampson had back-to-back rushes of 19 and 15 yards to set up Iamaleava's first TD run. And Seldon had a 13-yard run and converted a fourth-and-1 rush, which led to Iamaleava's second TD run.
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James Pearce's interception returned for TD was icing on cake
Early in the fourth quarter, Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill 's short pass was picked off by UT defensive end James Pearce, who dropped into coverage.
Pearce, the All-SEC performer, returned his first career interception 52 yards for a TD to extend UT's lead to 28-0.
It was the last pass of Hill's dreadful performance. He passed for only 56 yards and two interceptions, and the Vols sacked him four times.
Pearce also had a strip sack on Hill. Dominic Bailey recovered the fumble, which set up Iamaleava's third rushing TD.
Andre Turrentine seized opportunity with end-zone interception
Andre Turrentine made a good first impression as UT's starting safety when he picked off a pass in the end zone to stop an Iowa scoring opportunity in the first quarter.
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It was the first interception of Turrentine's career. And he also had a key pass breakup on a third-down play in the second quarter. His performance was well timed.
Turrentine, a former Ensworth standout in Nashville, transferred to UT from Ohio State in 2022. Granted, this was his third consecutive start, filling in for an injured Wesley Walker .
But Walker entered the transfer portal on Dec. 22, so Turrentine is now vying for the starting spot next season.
Vols extended Citrus Bowl winning streak
UT has been almost unbeatable in the Citrus Bowl, improving its record to 5-1 in this game.
The Vols' previous wins here came against Maryland (1983), Ohio State (1996), Northwestern (1997) and Michigan (2002). Their lone loss was to Penn State (1994).
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Overall, this was UT's 55th bowl appearance. Its all-time bowl record is now 30-25. And Heupel is 2-1 in bowl games at UT.
Tennessee played without 24 players
In the era of the transfer portal and opt-outs, it's become commonplace for rosters to be drastically downsized for the bowl game. UT was not an exception to that reality.
There were 24 players from the regular-season team that were not available to play in the bowl game. That included 10 injured players, 11 players in the portal and three players who opted out.
That made UT's bowl win even more impressive.
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 is MVP as Tennessee football routs Iowa in Citrus Bowl
