The Tennessee Volunteers got a very typical night from junior running back Dylan Sampson during Saturday’s 28-18 downing of Kentucky inside Neyland Stadium and a very atypical evening from quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
Though Sampson rushed 27 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns, Iamaleava was way busier than normal in the passing game. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound redshirt freshman completed 28 of 38 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown against the Wildcats, with his completions and attempts both career highs.
“I was just taking what the defense was giving me,” Iamaleava said after the No. 7 Vols improved to 7-1 overall and to 4-1 in Southeastern Conference play. “The quick stuff was out there, and the deep game was there.”
Iamaleava’s previous highs this season were 22 completions during the 69-3 opening win over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and 29 attempts during the 19-14 loss at Arkansas. He threw for 314 yards in the first half against the Mocs, and his 292 against Kentucky are his most against an SEC foe.
More importantly, Iamaleava engineered an offense Saturday that racked up 477 total yards, which is also a season-high tally against a league opponent.