What was supposed to be somewhat of a fight turned into a blowout win on behalf of Tennessee Football. The Vols beat the N.C. State Wolfpack 51-10 in Charlotte Saturday night, and the crazy part is Nico Iamaleava wasn’t the main headline, even if he was a big part of it. Here are five takeaways from UT’s dominating victory.
Defense can win Tennessee Football games.
Josh Heupel has built a program on offense, but this game was all about the dominating defense. Against a top 25 foe, the Vols’ defense gave up just 143 yards of total offense, only 38 yards on the ground and no touchdowns, as the only one the team allowed was a pick-six. UT forced three turnovers, including a pick-six, came away with three sacks and 13 tackles for a loss and had two 4th and 1 stops.
Run game carried the offense.
Dylan Sampson had 20 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and he was really the story of the offense for Tennessee Football. However, Nico Iamaleava was also a big part of the rush offense, as he had eight carries for 65 yards and a 31-yard score. The team as a whole had 44 carries for 249 yards and three scores.
Nico Iamaleava has work to do passing.
Turns out Nico Iamaleava is human. He finished the game 16-of-23 for 211 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had two interceptions. Now, one wasn’t his fault, as he was hit. On the other one, though, he massively overthrew Bru McCoy over the middle. He also overshot McCoy early for a touchdown pass, overshot Squirrel White on a completion that should’ve been a score and missed White on an out-route.
Penalties are a problem.
Look, Heupel’s offensive schemes will call for lots of penalties at times, but Tennessee Football surrendered 70 yards on seven penalties. That included Keenan Pili and John Campbell Jr. both getting chippy after the play and a touchdown pass getting waved off by a lineman downfield. The Vols have to clean this up before SEC play.
Tight ends were the stars in the passing game
We already knew about Ethan Davis’ abilities, but Miles Kitselman was the star in this game. He had three catches for 39 yards and a score and had another touchdown grab called back. Holden Staes then had an 18-yard grab as well. Tennessee Football is now loaded at this position, and it could be a huge advantage going forward.
One Response
I worried about the secondary, but the D-line was so dominant in getting the QB out of synch and stopping the run, the secondary was not severely pressed. I was amazingly impressed with the defense’s response to the ball. As for the offense, we will see Nico improve as the season moves forward. Sampson’s off-season work clearly paid off as he looks like a back with NFL-calibre talent. Let’s not overlook the kicker. He hooked the 52 yarder, but he could be a difference-maker in close games. As for NC State, either UT is a top five team now, or the Wolfpack and the ACC are weak.