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O’Gara: Nico Iamaleava and the Tennessee offense are in their first funk, so how do they get out of it?

Connor O'Gara

By Connor O'Gara

Published:

When Nico Iamaleava ran out of bounds instead of attempting a last-ditch heave at the end zone in the final seconds against Arkansas, the thought I had all evening culminated in fitting fashion.

Buddy, that felt like the Joe Milton Tennessee offense.

I say that not to disrespect Milton but to point out that the 2023 version of Josh Heupel’s offense was limited by the quarterback play. Saturday night felt like a limited version of the Tennessee offense … again.

Yes, Heupel admittedly played it more conservatively in the second half against Oklahoma because of how well the Vols’ defense handled the Sooners, but it was limited. It was still effective enough to win on the road, which was all that mattered. All that mattered Saturday night was that Tennessee’s offense wasn’t effective enough to win on the road.

Welcome to the big time, Iamaleava. Rarely, if ever, does someone step into the SEC and dominate from the jump without a few bumps in the road. Even Bryce Young, who won the Heisman Trophy in his first season as the Tide’s starter in 2021, had “limited” moments against middling LSU and Auburn. Not to go full cliché and say “it can happen in any given week in the SEC,” but yeah, even the great ones have hiccups.

Saturday’s hiccup at Arkansas felt like a combination of a few things. One was that DC Travis Williams put together a masterful game plan to generate pressure up front. Landon Jackson is one of the best defensive linemen in the sport, and he certainly looked the part against an overwhelmed young quarterback. Too many times, Iamaleava surveyed his first read and then put his head down while sensing pressure. His mobility is an asset, but mobility with the wrong pocket mindset negates that.

It’d be nice to see Heupel and Tennessee play-caller Joey Halzle get Iamaleava some more designed rollouts to slide the pocket and hit the tight ends in the flat. One reason he felt limitless in Heupel’s offense was because unlike Milton, Iamaleava can throw exceptionally well off-platform. Combine that with the trusted depth of Tennessee’s receivers and in theory, that’s a lethal combination for opposing defenses.

Speaking of Tennessee’s receiver depth, we watched Bru McCoy, Squirrel White and Dont’e Thornton all get banged up Saturday night. It wouldn’t be surprising if that played a part in Iamaleava’s indecisiveness down the stretch, though when Thornton returned, we did still see a vintage Iamaleava throw on that final drive:

That’s the beauty of Iamaleava. Even when he’s out of sorts and he’s not getting easy looks within the scheme, he can rip off a game-changing throw like that in a given moment.

At the same time, you can’t bank on those consistently. Iamaleava still needs protection and receivers getting separation. If McCoy and White are out Saturday against Florida, that could be an uphill battle. Thornton, Chas Nimrod and Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II, who has been held to 6 catches for 39 yards in 3 games vs. Core 4 competition, will have to do the heavy lifting in the passing game.

The good news for Tennessee is that Heupel believes the Vols can go 6 or 7 deep at receiver. The other good news is that while the backfield depth might be as thin as it’s been under Heupel, it’s still been darn effective. Dylan Sampson is the SEC’s No. 2 rusher, and he’s No. 2 in FBS behind Ashton Jeanty with 12 rushing scores. DeSean Bishop has provided a nice burst, as well, having averaged 7.5 yards/carry with 306 rushing yards on 79 snaps.

Tennessee getting out of its offensive funk should include leaning on that 2-headed rushing attack even more, which could include some looks with Bishop lined up in the backfield with Sampson splitting out wide and operating out of the slot (he has 6 snaps there this season). But it’s not that Sampson is lacking volume. In those 3 games vs. “Core 4” opponents, he had 23 to 24 scrimmage touches while playing 45 to 60 snaps. Getting Bishop more involved is paramount. To be fair, he had 16 carries in the Oklahoma game when the Vols were intent on burning clock. He and Sampson combined for 40 carries that night. Might that become a new norm?

Saturday’s matchup against Florida could call for just that. The Gators are coming off what was easily their most impressive defensive performance of the season by holding UCF’s No. 2 rushing attack to just 145 sack-adjusted rushing yards (about half of their season average). At the same time, Florida allowed 240 rushing yards to lowly Mississippi State, and against a backup QB in his first career start, A&M ran for 310 yards in The Swamp.

In other words, Florida’s run defense can be had. If this is a game in which the best blueprint for Tennessee has a run-heavy approach that opens up for some shots downfield in a low-volume passing attack, it wouldn’t be surprising. There can be some Oklahoma vibes to a funk-busting offensive showing. The sign of progress would be Iamaleava recognizing protections better and showing the poise in the pocket that had everyone saying the “H-word” 2 weeks into the season.

Iamaleava and the Vols aren’t seeking a Heisman-worthy performance on Saturday, nor are they in need of style points against a Florida program that’s won 17 of the past 19 in this rivalry. That won’t be lost on a Neyland Stadium crowd that has yet to see the Vols play anyone but cupcakes this year.

Contrary to what the first few weeks of the season suggested, Florida isn’t a cupcake and Tennessee isn’t invincible. The latter is facing its first real adversity of the Iamaleava era. That path can go a variety of ways.

Running out of bounds isn’t an option.

Connor O'Gara

Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.

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