Tennessee coach Josh Heupel told anyone that would listen to him that he had the best roster in his four seasons as a Vol. That proved to be true in a 51-10 win over North Carolina State.
The No. 14 Vols overwhelmed the No. 24 Wolfpack with an entire team effort in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday. Tennessee secured the victory in spite of redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava, not because of him, at times.
Iamaleava finally looked like a freshman against the Wolfpack, although a very good one, as he completed 16 of 23 passes for 211 yards, 2 touchdowns and his first collegiate interception. Iamaleava threw another interception, but was hit as he threw. The redshirt freshman also ran for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Iamaleava’s interception just looked to be off the mark. Later in the first half, he also missed Tennessee receiver Squirrel White in the redzone that would have resulted in a first down or maybe a touchdown. That’s understandable. Even the best have “off” days. If that’s the worst Iamaleava plays all season, he’ll be a massive success, especially if the other 85 scholarship players on Tennessee’s roster – and a walk-on – show up and play the way they did on Saturday.
Let’s start with walk-on safety Will Brooks, who returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown. That was just a part of the Vols’ dominance on defense. Linebacker Keenan Pili led Tennessee’s defensive front that beat off the Wolfpack offense with a stick, only giving up 143 yards to North Carolina State. However, Tennessee’s win wasn’t just a one-sided affair.
When Iamaleava struggled in the first half, the Vols simply relied on their experienced offensive line and dynamic tailback to push North Carolina State around. That was just one example in which the Vols looked like a College Football Playoff contender against a team that was just ranked and will need playoff expansion to ever make a postseason tournament.
There have been many games in Heupel’s time at Tennessee in which an opponent’s chances were eliminated by halftime. That, however, usually meant Tennessee’s offense was having a big night and the Vols’ defense was just hanging on. That wasn’t the case on Saturday.
Tennessee’s defense looked as dominant as any team in the nation against a quality opponent this season. The Vols stymied the Wolfpack for just 143 yards.
Winning in a different fashion may be more uncomfortable for some fans who are used to beating opponents by 50 points via long touchdown passes, but either still counts as a victory. In fact, this could be the new norm.
No one is suggesting that opposing defenses have figured Heupel’s offense out. In fact, the Vols showed some new, interesting formations on offense and will assuredly have more explosive games on offense in the coming weeks. However, it appears that teams have realized they’d rather take a slow beating than a quick execution by playing very conservatively against Tennessee’s offense.
North Carolina State and Iowa, in the Citrus Bowl, both dropped into coverage to avoid the long completions and the jaw-dropping plays that became commonplace in 2022. Eventually, defenses will likely adjust back as long as the Vols continue to run the ball successfully. As for the Vols’ defense, well, they call the shots.
Tennessee might win as many games as it did in 2022 when it went 11-2, but they won’t have to rely on a surprisingly explosive offense that resulted in multiple one-sided blowouts. The Vols can win games against good opponents with a stout defense and a strong running game. They proved that to be true against the Wolfpack. Tennessee was so dominant at times that Heupel was actually running time off the clock – in the third quarter.
There’s no question that everyone associates the 2024 football team with Iamaleava, who is Tennessee’s star player. However, he can’t win a championship alone. That’s why it’s good to have depth, which the Vols haven’t had in half of a decade. Tennessee proved they have more than just Iamaleava against North Carolina State. Heupel tried to tell you so.
