Jaylen McCollough breaks Tennessee career record for starts.
No. 23 Tennessee (9-4, 4-4 SEC) defeated No. 17 Iowa (10-4, 7-2 Big Ten), 35-0, Monday in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Senior defensive back Jaylen McCollough made his 51st career start in Tennessee’s win against Iowa. That sets Tennessee’s career record for starts, passing defensive back Jonathan Hefney, who started 50 games for the Vols from 2004-07.
The 6-foot, 206-pound McCollough recorded four tackles and one pass deflection against the Hawkeyes.
“We are proud of him,” Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks said of McCollough ahead of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. “I think it says a lot about him as a man and his durability and being able to fight through some bumps and bruises. We are excited for him. Not only has he been a tremendous player on the field, but, definitely, a great locker room teammate and a guy that we have enjoyed coaching through this ride.”
James Pearce Jr. scores on first career touchdown in the Citrus Bowl.
Tennessee defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. concluded his sophomore season on Monday in the Vols’ 35-0 win versus Iowa in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
Pearce Jr. recorded three tackles, one sack, one tackle for a loss, one interception, one touchdown and one forced fumble against the Hawkeyes. He scored on a 52-yard interception for his first career touchdown.
The 6-foot-5, 242-pound defensive lineman discussed Tennessee’s victory after the game.
“We always want to come out and dominate at a really high level no matter who we are playing,” Pearce Jr. said.
Pearce Jr. recorded 24 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks during the 2023 season.
Nico Iamaleava recaps first career win at Tennessee.
Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava made his first collegiate start for Tennessee in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl versus Iowa.
Iamaleava completed 12-of-19 passing attempts for 151 passing yards and one passing touchdown. He also totaled 15 rushing attempts for 27 yards and three touchdowns.
Iamaleava was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
He met with media following the contest and recapped his performance.
“Felt great,” Iamaleava said. “Finally, to play a whole game, I have not done that in a while. Felt good to get back out there and get my feet wet.
“I am proud of the guys and how they played. The receivers played a tremendous game, and o-line did good. Receivers did good. I still think there is a lot of room for us to get better.”
Iamaleava became the fourth true freshman quarterback to start a bowl game for Tennessee in program history, joining Tyler Bray (2010 Music City Bowl versus North Carolina), Casey Clausen (2001 Cotton Bowl versus Kansas State) and Peyton Manning (1994 Gator Bowl versus Virginia Tech).
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel recaps the Vols’ win in the 2024 Citrus Bowl.
Tennessee (9-4, 4-4 SEC) defeated Iowa (10-4, 7-2 Big Ten), 35-0, Monday in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Third-year head coach Josh Heupel recapped the Vols’ win after the game.
“Really proud of our team, our program,” Heupel said. “I thought it during the course of our preparation, but they were very intentional, focused when they went into the meeting, went on the practice field. They were engaged and they competed hard. That was true in our preparation back home. It was true, while we were here. They enjoyed the bowl festivities at the same time. I thought it was a great balance, and they came out and played as though they had prepared the right way, and proud of the performance.
“You look defensively, violent and disruptive on the line of scrimmage. Handled the run game really the entire day. Mashed things out on their boot game and got off the field on third downs. The front applied so much pressure during the course of it. James (Pearce Jr.) did an unbelievable job the entire day. Obviously, everybody saw the big pick, and he was in the backfield and made it uncomfortable for the quarterback all day long. Offensively, efficient enough. Nico (Iamaleava) played really well. First-time starter. There was nothing that was too big for him. Never got rattled. Very composed, in control, communication, controlling the run game, just did an unbelievable job, decision-making, and then made plays with his feet as well. At the end of the day, we played all three phases well together. That was the challenge for us going into this one. That is a really good football team that we played today that has had a tremendous amount of success this season, but over coach’s (Kirk Ferentz) tenure, got a great amount of respect for who he is and how he conducts his program. Great way to finish the 2023 season and to kick off the ’24.”
Tennessee football records first shutout bowl win since 1957.
Tennessee (9-4, 4-4 SEC) defeated No. 17 Iowa (10-4, 7-2 Big Ten), 35-0, Monday in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Monday’s victory marks Tennessee’s first shutout win in a bowl game since defeating Texas A&M, 3-0, in the 1957 Gator Bowl.
“Really proud of our team, our program,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said after Tennessee’s win against Iowa. “I thought it during the course of our preparation, but they were very intentional, focused when they went into the meeting, went on the practice field. They were engaged and they competed hard.
“You look defensively, violent and disruptive on the line of scrimmage. Handled the run game really the entire day. Mashed things out on their boot game and got off the field on third downs. The front applied so much pressure during the course of it. James did an unbelievable job the entire day. Obviously, everybody saw the big pick, and he was in the backfield and made it uncomfortable for the quarterback all day long.”
The Big Ten keeps taking body blows in the bowl season.
The Big Ten is losing one bowl game after another. Ohio State lost to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl on Friday. Penn State lost the Peach Bowl to Ole Miss on Saturday. Wisconsin fell to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday. The new year began with that Big Ten loss plus another one: Iowa was demolished by Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
“Somehow the Iowa Hawkeyes managed to put on what may prove to be their most frustrating offensive performance to date in the final game of a year filled with extremely poor offensive games.
“Deacon Hill was unable to get anything going in the passing game and was handing out turnovers to Tennessee like it was Halloween candy. One saving grace is that this is the end of the era with Hill at quarterback.”
“The Vols led, 14-0, at halftime as freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, made his first career start. He scored two touchdown runs during the second quarter. Iamaleava also had a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to make the score, 21-0.”
So many Big Ten teams are heading into the offseason with a lot of questions swirling overhead. USC isn’t the only one.
PHOTOS: Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava wins first career start in the Citrus Bowl versus Iowa
No. 23 Tennessee (9-4, 4-4 SEC) defeated No. 17 Iowa (10-4, 7-2 Big Ten), 35-0, Monday in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava made his first career start for Tennessee. He completed 12-of-19 passing attempts for 151 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for 27 yards and three touchdowns on 15 attempts.
Iamaleava was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. He started in replace of redshirt senior quarterback Joe Milton III. Milton III opted out of the contest to focus on the NFL draft.
Below are photos of Tennessee’s win versus Iowa at Camping World Stadium on New Year’s Day.
No. 23 Tennessee (9-4, 4-4 SEC) defeated No. 17 Iowa (10-4, 7-2 Big Ten), 35-0, Monday in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
The Vols led, 14-0, at halftime as freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, made his first career start. He scored two touchdown runs during the second quarter.
Iamaleava also had a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to make the score, 21-0.
James Pearce Jr. scored on a 52-yard interception return with 14 minutes, 54 seconds remaining in the contest.
The Vols scored last with 4:48 remaining when Iamaleava completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end McCallan Castles.
Iamaleava completed 12-of-19 passing attempts for 151 passing yards and one passing touchdown. He also totaled 15 rushing attempts for 27 yards and three touchdowns en route to being named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Dylan Sampson, also making his first start at Tennessee, recorded 133 rushing yards on 20 attempts. Ramel Keyton led the Vols with three receptions for 51 yards.
Tennessee’s defense held the Hawkeyes to 173 total yards. Iowa was shut out for the second consecutive game and third time this season.
What time and what channel is the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl between Iowa and Tennessee?
Iowa is hoping this year;’s Cheez-It Citrus Bowl goes a bit better than their last trip to Orlando. For the second time in three seasons, Iowa is representing the Big Ten against the SEC in the Citrus Bowl. After losing to Kentucky by three points in the 2022 game, Iowa is looking to pick up a win against the Tennessee Volunteers on New Years Day.
This marks the third meeting in a bowl game with Tennessee for Iowa. The bowl matchups are even with one win each; Iowa won the 1982 Peach Bowl, 28-22, and Tennessee took the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl by a score of 45-28. The Big Ten West Division champions won 10 games this season but are the underdog against the 8-4 Vols in this year’s Citrus Bowl.
The Big Ten is 1-2 against the SEC so far this bowl season with Ohio State and Penn State each taking losses to Missouri and Ole Miss, respectively, in their New Years Six bowl games. Maryland picked up the win against Auburn in its bowl game. New Years Day will feature three Big Ten vs. SEC bowl matchups, including the College Football Playoff semifinal between Michigan and Alabama. Can the Big Ten gain an upper hand on the SEC in head-to-head matchups this year?
Here is how to catch Iowa taking on Tennessee in this year’s Citrus Bowl.
