Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava Did Not Return After Injury vs. Mississippi State

The No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers (7-1) look differently in the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-7), as star quarterback Nico Iamaleava has surprisingly left the game due to an injury.

The Vols were clinging to a 20-7 lead at the start of the third quarter. It was expected that Iamaleava would lead the offense back onto the field to start the second half, but fifth-year senior Gaston Moore took his place behind center instead.

The ESPN broadcast later revealed an announcement from Tennessee that Iamaleava would miss the remainder of the game against Mississippi State due to an upper body injury.

Iamaleava, a redshirt freshman, has started every game this season for the Vols, who are in the hunt for the SEC championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Beyond Saturday night’s game against the Bulldogs, there is a cause for concern for Iamaleava’s health next week at No. 3 Georgia.

While it’s unclear what exactly is ailing Iamaleava, he did take a strong hit before the end of the first half. He returned to the field for two more plays before heading with Tennessee to the locker room.

The Vols need to win out if they want to make the conference title game. The matchup against UGA will likely decide Tennessee’s chances to reach that game, assuming business is taken care of this week.

Moore has played sparingly for Tennessee. The former UCF transfer held zero stars coming out of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, in the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports.