How Iowa scrambled to learn all it could on Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava before Citrus Bowl
ORLANDO, Fla. – Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker said he watched all 54 plays that Tennessee freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava played this season.
But Iamalaeava played only 52 snaps.
Perhaps Parker got an editor’s cut of the game film, or he’s just crammed so much lately that he lost count.
“We have about 54 snaps on him,” Parker said Friday. “They’re running the same offense. But he’s a little bit different in style (than Joe Milton). He probably runs a little bit better. I’m sure they’ve got some other things up their sleeves of what they want to do with him.”
On Wednesday, Milton announced he would opt out of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. That put Iamaleava, a former five-star recruit, into the starting role.
When Iowa learned of the quarterback change, they scrambled to prepare for Iamaleava. There wasn’t much game film to review from Iamaleava’s four games of mop-up duty.
But Parker, who won the Broyles Award as college football’s top assistant, saw enough to be impressed.
“It doesn’t matter whether they’re the first time starter or whether they had five snaps or 25 snaps or 400, they’re all treated the same,” Parker said. “That’s the best guy we’re playing, and you guys better be on your game.”
What Iowa saw in Nico Iamaleava's limited playing time
No. 21 Tennessee (8-4) plays No. 17 Iowa (10-3) on Monday (1 p.m. ET, ABC) at Camping World Stadium.
The Hawkeyes tout a top-5 defense. For better or worse, the Vols have the element of surprise on their side because Iamaleava hasn’t played much.
Iamaleava played 10 snaps against Virginia, six snaps against UTSA, 15 snaps against UConn and 21 snaps against Vanderbilt. He was 16-of-26 passing for 163 yards, one TD and no interceptions. And he rushed for 44 yards.
The score was lopsided when Iamaleava was in the game. And he was playing with second-team and third-team players. But Parker said he recognized Iamaleava's talent, even in those circumstances.
“When you see a guy on the field, you see see how he moves and how he can throw the ball and his running ability that you have to be concerned about,” Parker said. “It’s going to be challenge for us.”
Iowa wants to force Iamaleava to pass
Parker praised Tennessee’s rushing offense, which ranks No. 2 in the SEC at 202.6 yards per game. Running backs Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small opted out of the Citrus Bowl, so sophomore Dylan Sampson and freshman Cam Seldon will carry the load.
Iowa wants to smother Tennessee’s ground game and force Iamaleava to pass.
“That’s the most important thing we have to do,” Parker said. “You’ve got to try to stop the run and make them pass it. They have a lot of explosive plays, and one of our goals is to make sure we don’t give up explosive plays.”
Iowa has allowed only one rush of more than 20 yards all season, the fewest in college football. And it ranks No. 4 in scoring defense (13.2 ppg) and No. 5 in total defense (274.8 ypg).
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Iowa unpacked Tennessee football's Nico Iamaleava for Citrus Bowl
