Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has carried most of the blame for the Vols’ offensive woes this season. It’s time for his teammates to share some of the onus.

The No. 7 Vols survived a Kentucky scare as Iamaleava looked as sharp as he all season against a quality opponent, completing 28 of 38 passes for 292 yards and one touchdown, in a 28-18 win against the Wildcats. The redshirt freshman also ran for 14 yards on seven carries – and needed about every play he made. Why? Iamaleava didn’t just have to overcome the Wildcats; he had to overcome the Vols’ own offensive mistakes. 

Fortunately for Tennessee, its defense was able to tame the Cats with another solid defensive performance and some game-changing plays, which included a forced fumble on a strip-sack by defensive lineman Joshua Josephs that was recovered by linebacker Jeremiah Telander in the third quarter. That set up a touchdown run by Dylan Sampson that put the Vols up 14-10 and changed the course of the game.

Even though Iamaleava appears to have improved significantly over the past month, it’s probably time to adjust the expectations about the Vols’ offense. Tennessee is a team led by its defense and will go as far as it can take them as long as the Vols keep making mistakes on offense, which doesn’t appear to have a remedy ready.

Can Tennessee’s offense get better? Certainly. However, it’s hard to see the Vols being elite on offense, as most had expected coming into the season. 

The Vols may just have to be serviceable on offense as long as players like EDGE rusher James Pearce, who knocked Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff out of the game with a hard-hitting sack in the third quarter, keeps forcing opposing offenses into mistakes. It certainly doesn’t hurt that safety Will Brooks has a nose for the football, having picked off his third pass of the season and nearly his second pick-six of the year. 

The Vols have a long way to go in order to match Tennessee’s explosive offense in 2022. However, that’s not all its fault. Adjustments have been made. It has become obvious that opposing defenses are going to do all they can to keep the Vols from winning with long scoring plays, especially in the passing game.

Whether it’s a soft zone in the secondary or a unique defensive front, defensive coaches have seemingly caught up to Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel’s offense – at least as long as his players keep making mistakes, but don’t blame Iamaleava.

The Californian was cool and crisp from the outset of the game, but his teammates didn’t do much to help. Offensive tackle John Campbell Jr. was called for a holding penalty, receiver Chris Brazzell dropped what would have been a 48-yard touchdown pass and running back Dylan Sampson lost a fumble in the first quarter for the second time in consecutive weeks. Things were even more hapless on special teams.

Placekicker Max Gilbert missed two field goal attempts in the first half as the Vols were trying to jump on the Cats, then missed another in the second half. The Vols trailed 7-0 after the first quarter despite Iamaleava completing seven of nine passes for 84 yards in the first quarter.

Things didn’t go much better in the second quarter when tight end Miles Kitselman dropped what would have been a red-zone touchdown in the end zone as he was hammered by a Kentucky defender. Iamaleava was also sacked twice before the Vols went to the locker room for halftime trailing 10-7. At that point, Iamaleava had completed 15 of 20 passes for 174 yards.

Kitselman redeemed himself in the third quarter with a touchdown reception as it was clear that he was a big part of the game plan. The transfer from Alabama caught 6 passes for 97 yards against Kentucky.

Perhaps the first half should be viewed as improvement despite all the mistakes. Tennessee broke a three-game streak of not scoring a point in the first half when freshman Peyton Lewis punched it in from one-yard out. The freshman was substituted for Sampson after his second first half fumble in consecutive weeks. The Vols’ regular backup, DeSean Bishop, was reportedly out of the game with an injury.

Sampson, however, redeemed himself with 141 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns. The junior set the all-time single-season record for rushing touchdowns, which was previously held by Gene McEver in 1929. Sampson and the Vols’ running game were the easy go-to call when nothing else seemed to be working on offense.

Things weren’t just bad for the Vols’ offense in the first half. Receiver Chas Nimrod also dropped what would have been a long touchdown completion in the fourth quarter. That, however, didn’t undermine the Vols who were able to handle backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt.

Iamaleava and the Vols’ offense seemed to have a significant advantage on Saturday over the Cats, who have been wrecked by injuries, especially in a beleaguered secondary. However, the Vols couldn’t take advantage no matter how talented they might be on offense. 

Don’t blame Iamaleava for the uncomfortable win over Kentucky. He did all he could to overcome an offense that just can’t get out of its own way.