In Tennessee ‘s 24-17 win over Alabama on Saturday, Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava showed off his resiliency following a lackluster first half. After the win, Iamaleava revealed his mindset entering the second half.
“Next play mentality,” Iamaleava said . “Coach Heup, that’s something he’s always preaches. Man, it’s not going the way we wanted in the first half. And we got to keep battling, keep going strong for our guys. Like I said, I’m glad the way we came out in the second half.”
It was a slow start for Iamaleava, who only completed 7-of-his-14 pass attempts in the first half and threw a detrimental interception in the red zone. While Iamaleava didn’t necessarily hit on all cylinders in the second half with his passes either, he ran Tennessee’s offense like a well-oiled machine.
The Volunteers tallied 265 total yards of offense in the second half compared to just 143 yards in the first. Further, Tennessee didn’t commit any more turnovers, either on the ground or through the air.