Led by Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the Vols dimmed the Golden Flashes, which looked more like lead, in a 71-0 loss to the Vols, whose greatest test is on the horizon.
It didn’t take Iamaleava long to truly look golden as the redshirt freshman completed 10 of 16 passes for 173 yards and a one touchdown. As for any interception concerns after two picks last week, Iamaleava only put the ball in harm’s way when a Kent State cornerback jumped a route, yet he was never truly in position to intercept the pass.
Iamaleava led the Vols to a touchdown drive on the Vol’s first offensive drive. That was just the beginning. Iamaleava wasn’t at his elite best throwing the football early, but continued to fine tune his passes and hit one receiver after another in the flats, over the middle and, basically, wherever the Vols decided they wanted to attack Kent State.
Iamaleava’s best throw of the game may have occurred when he threw a perfectly placed pass to Chris Brazzell II, who was streaking down the sideline, for a 53-yard touchdown pass. Then, things got really out of hand.
Redshirt freshman DeSean Bishop shifted through the Kent State defense for a 53-yard touchdown. The Vols followed that with an onside kick, yes, an onside kick and scored on the ensuing drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The route was on as the Vols led 37-0 after the first quarter, which now holds the record for most points scored in modern-day college football history.
The second quarter was much of the same. Bishop added another touchdown, this time from 47 yards out. Sampson ran a score in from seven yards. With backup quarterback Gaston Moore inserted in the second quarter, tight end Miles Kitselman caught a 15-yard touchdown pass. Then, Moore completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to receiver Mike Matthews. Halftime score. 65-0.
One thing that was bit odd about the Vols’ offense is that Iamaleava seemed to be taking a few too many hits in a game that was winnable even if Smokey played quarterback. The most curious play came when Iamaleava sprinted to his left on a called run play. The redshirt freshman, nicknamed 8-Ball, ran for 31 yards on five carries. However, one must consider what Iamaleava was facing.
Kent State had the 122nd best pass defense among 134 BCS teams coming into the game. Iamaleava could also lean on a running game against the Golden Flashes, which ranked 116th in rushing defense. The Vols ran for 274 yards on 29 carries. In the first half.
Overmatched? Uh, yeah, Kent State came into the game with the 126th overall offense in the nation and were 49.5-point underdogs. Still, no one expected the all out domination that took place on Shield-Watkins Field under the lights on Saturday.
The win in Neyland Stadium certainly keeps No. 7 Tennessee in the race for the College Football Playoff, in which some high-profile, national analysts have claimed the Vols are a true competitor. One would think the Vols would hold onto their seventh-placed ranking and, possibly, move up in the polls after the shellacking they laid on Kent State.
The performance by Iamaleava will certainly keep him in the very early Heisman Trophy race. He is odds to win the award were 8-1 before the Kent State game began. However Iamaleava hasn’t done anything that would send him to New York just yet. He’ll get that opportunity next week against Oklahoma in the “Heup” Bowl when Tennessee coach Josh Heupel returns to Norman as a coach. Heupel was once a national championship winning quarterback for the Sooners. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Oklahoma, who came into the season as the No. 15-ranked team in the nation, looked very beatable just before the Vols kicked off Kent State. The Sooners barely kept their head afloat against the Tulane Green Wave, which was threatening to upset the Sooners and driving for a potential winning score when things went awry via a tipped pass that resulted in an interception.
The score was 24-19 with just over six minutes left in the game before Oklahoma scored on the ensuing position and eventually pulled away, winning the game 34-19. Tulane was a 14-point underdog before hanging tough with the Sooners for more than more than three quarters. Oklahoma had better not start off slow next week.
Even though the Vols are almost a month deep into their season and have looked spectacular, there are still plenty of questions about just how good Tennessee’s football team is compared to top-tier programs. Tennessee has thoroughly beaten its first three opponents, including Kent State, Chattanooga in the season-opening game and North Carolina State last week. However, the Vols were massive favorites to beat the Div.-II Mocs and lowly Kent State. North Carolina State unimpressively beat Louisiana Tech 30-20 on Saturday.
Tennessee’s coaches have admitted their goal is to go undefeated this season. Are they really that good? We’ll now more after the “Heup” Bowl on Saturday.
