Tennessee 51-10 NC State (September 7, 2024) Match Report

CHARLOTTE, NC – The Tennessee Volunteers made a big statement Saturday night.

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava totaled 276 yards and three touchdowns, former walk-on safety Will Brooks' 85-yard interception return for a touchdown capped a dominant defensive performance, and the 14th-ranked Vols beat No. 24 North Carolina State 51-10 in the Duke's Mayo Classic.

Iamaleava completed 16 of 23 passes for 211 yards and threw touchdowns to Miles Kitselman and Holden Staes. He also ran for 65 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown, and the Vols scored eight of 11 touchdowns with the redshirt freshman at quarterback.

“He played at his own pace and responded well to adversity, and that's one of the things we haven't seen from him,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said of Iamaleava, who threw two interceptions. “I'm really proud of the way he handled himself.”

Despite the two mistakes, Iamaleava has come through the first major challenge of his career as a starter with flying colors. The Vols have now scored 120 points in their first two games after a 69-3 win over Chattanooga in the opening game.

“It was a bit sloppy at the beginning, but I think we finished strong in the second half,” Iamaleava said.

Dylan Sampson ran for 132 yards and scored two touchdowns as Tennessee (2-0) defeated NC State 460 to 143 yards.

Tennessee limited NC State quarterback Grayson McCall to 104 yards and forced three turnovers. The Vols held the Wolfpack to 39 yards on 28 carries, and NC State's only touchdown came on a pick-six.

Heupel spoke of an “elitist” defensive performance.

“The standard in Tennessee is to have a first-class defense. This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson and Eric Berry,” Heupel said.

The offense wasn't too bad either.

It didn't take long for Iamaleava to show his skills, breaking through the deadlock and outrunning two defenders to gain 12 yards on a third-and-7 play to keep the Vols' first drive alive. Tennessee broke through on its second drive with a series of short passes from Iamaleava before Sampson ran nine yards up the middle for a touchdown.

After the teams traded field goals, NC State (1-1) drove 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.

“That was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Heupel.

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 the loss was sealed.

And when NC State was stopped on a desperate fourth-and-1 run in its own territory, Iamaleava decided the game with a drive up the middle on a QB draw with 4:07 left in the third quarter.

“It got out of control. It just kept getting worse,” said NC State coach Dave Doeren. “We still have a lot of work to do to get back on track.”

Doeren said he wanted to keep McCall as quarterback.

“He's mad at himself, but he's got to come back and wash it away,” Doeren said. “We have a lot of confidence in Grayson. As a head coach, I believe in him completely.”

Vols use 12 employees

On offense, the Vols often used two tight ends, which surprised the Wolf Pack.

“Our tight end room has never been this deep and that will be part of what we continue to do,” Heupel said.

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.

Next

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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