What Nico Iamaleava injury means for Tennessee vs Georgia and College Football Playoff

Posted by Admin November 10, 2024 Football

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava made 101,915 fans collectively hold their breath at Neyland Stadium when he didn’t return for the second half against Mississippi State on Saturday night.

There weren’t serious concerns about the outcome of the game. Tennessee (8-1, 5-1 SEC) beat Mississippi State 33-14.

But questions quickly buzzed through the anxious crowd about Iamaleava.

When was he injured? How serious was his injury? And will he be able to play against Georgia next week?

A few minutes later, backup quarterback Gaston Moore led the Vols offense on to the field, and there was still no sign of Iamaleava.

A few minutes after that, a Tennessee spokesperson confirmed that Iamaleava suffered an upper-body injury and would not return. He remained in the locker room during the second half.

After the game, coach Josh Heupel helped UT fans breathe a sigh of relief.

“(We) anticipate having him ready for next week,” Heupel said. “Precautionary measure at halftime. Feel like he will be ready to roll next Saturday.”

How serious is Nico Iamaleava injury?

The first question is whether the Vols could stave off Mississippi State’s upset bid with Moore at quarterback. Max Gilbert’s two field goals and Dylan Sampson’s 33-yard TD run helped Tennessee build a 33-14 lead to secure the win.

The second question is whether Iamaleava’s injury is serious.

Iamaleava’s injury wasn’t immediately apparent. He took a hit from Mississippi State safety Isaac Smith at the end of his 7-yard run late in the first half. ESPN reported that’s when Iamaleava suffered the injury.

Iamaleava returned briefly for three plays to finish the first half. But he did not return to the game in the second half.

He finished 8-of-13 passing for 174 yards and two TDs in one of his best albeit abbreviated performances of the season.

Will Nico Iamaleava play against Georgia?

Now, how does Iamaleava’s injury impact Tennessee’s game against Georgia? It could be a critical factor.

No. 3 Georgia lost 28-10 to No. 16 Ole Miss on Saturday. That means Georgia (7-2, 5-2 SEC) likely must beat No. 7 Tennessee to make the College Football Playoff.

By the way, those rankings will change before Tennessee plays Georgia on Saturday, Nov. 16 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in Athens.

No. 4 Miami lost 28-23 to unranked Georgia Tech. That means Tennessee could climb into the top 5 when the new CFP poll is released on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Iamaleava’s injury could factor into the CFP selection committee’s ranking. But Heupel said he expects his quarterback to return against Georgia.

If Tennessee beats Georgia, it would clear the Vols’ path to the College Football Playoff and potentially the SEC title game. If Tennessee loses to Georgia, it would battle other playoff contenders for one of the final spots in the bracket.

Iamaleava’s status plays a big part in Tennessee’s chances at beating Georgia and reaching the 12-team playoff. The former five-star recruit recently turned a corner during his redshirt freshman season.

After going through some growing pains early in SEC play, Iamaleava has had back-to-back strong performances. He was 28-of-38 passing for 292 yards and one TD in a 28-18 win over Kentucky. Then he connected on TD passes of 34 yards to Squirrel White and 73 yards to Dont’e Thornton against Mississippi State.

On the season, Iamaleava has completed 65% of his passes for 1,879 yards, 11 TDs and four interceptions.

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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