Nico Iamaleava totals 276 yards and 3 TDs as No. 14 Tennessee defeats No. 24 NC State 51-10

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — Quarterback Nico Iamaleava totaled 276 yards and three touchdowns, while former walk-on safety Will Brooks had a game-deciding 85-yard interception return for one point and No. 14 Tennessee defeated No. 24 North Carolina State 51-10 on Saturday night in the Duke’s Mayo Classic.

Iamaleava threw touchdown passes to Miles Kitselman and Holden Staes, scoring a 31-yard touchdown, so the Vols scored on eight of their 11 possessions with the redshirt freshman at quarterback.

Dylan Sampson ran 132 yards and scored two touchdowns when Tennessee (2-0, 0-0 SEC) defeated NC State 460-143.

North Carolina State quarterback Grayson McCall was limited to 104 passing yards and had three turnovers. The Vols held the Wolfpack to 39 yards on 28 carries.

It didn’t take long for Iamaleava to show off his skills, breaking through the defense, outrunning two defenders and gaining 12 yards on a third-and-7 play to keep the Vols’ opening drive alive.

Tennessee made its breakthrough in the second drive with a series of short finishes by Iamaleava before Sampson ran nine meters through the middle for a touchdown.

After the teams exchanged field goals, NC State (1-1, 0-0 ACC) penetrated deep into Tennessee territory before McCall threw tight end Justin Joly in the flat and Brooks caught the first interception of his career and ran unchallenged down the left sideline for a touchdown and a 17-3 lead. It was the 10th longest INT return for a touchdown in school history and the longest since Daniel Bituli’s 97-yard return against Alabama in 2017.

Max Gilbert kicked a 45-yard field goal at the end of the first half, giving the Vols a 17-point lead at halftime.

Things quickly got worse for NC State in the second half.

On Tennessee’s first possession of the third quarter, Iamaleava got the chains moving with a fourth-down run and then found the completely free Kitselman on the left sideline for a touchdown.

Dominic Bailey followed with a strip from McCall and recovered the ball at the NC State 22-yard line, leading to Gilbert’s third field of the game and a 30-3 lead.

And when NC State was stopped on a desperate fourth and 1 run in its own territory, Iamaleava decided the game with a breakout through the middle during a QB draw 4:07 minutes left in the third quarter. Iamaleava managed 65 yards on eight carries.

Iamaleava was not quite perfect.

Late in the third quarter, his arm was hit by Davin Vann, leading to an 87-yard interception return touchdown to Aydan White. Iamaleava threw two interceptions.

After NC State’s defensive score, Sampson ran for a 34-yard touchdown and Iamaleava threw an 18-yard pass to Staes, finishing his night with 16 of 23 passing for 211 yards.

The conclusion

Tennessee: The Vols’ up-tempo offense was in overdrive after the first drive of the game and their defense was outstanding. It looks like the team has the potential to compete for the national championship.

NC State: The Wolfpack’s offense seemed completely out of sync, managing just 27 yards in the second half and losing the ball three times. Unlike last week against FCS school Western Carolina, NC State was unable to catch up in the fourth quarter.

Impact of the survey

With a strong performance against a top-25 team, the Vols will likely climb up the rankings and possibly move into the top 10. The Wolfpack can kiss their top-25 ranking goodbye after a lackluster performance last week against Western Carolina and this debacle.

Tennessee: Will be a heavy favorite when it hosts Kent State on Saturday.

NC State: Returns home to play Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

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