Note: This story was corrected on Jan. 2 to add Dylan Sampson as a part of a duo on the Vols’ veteran offensive line.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Even by New Year’s Day standards — the one day which is marked on everyone’s calendar for the promise of new beginnings — this felt like the start of something truly special for the University of Tennessee football team.
The reason for that level of excitement rests squarely across the slim shoulders of quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who made his first collegiate start against Iowa Monday but will still be a redshirt freshman next fall since bowl games don’t count against eligibility.
Against the nation’s fifth-best defense, which was allowing an average of just 14 points per game and had not given up more than 31 all season, the 6-foot-6, 206-pound throwin’ Samoan accounted for 178 yards of total offense and four touchdowns to earn Citrus Bowl MVP honors.
But it wasn’t just the pinpoint passes — he completed 12 of 19 attempts without an interception — or the samples of smooth strides — his 19-yard scoring run on a called keeper provided UT’s first points — that should make Vols fans downright giddy with anticipation.