Key Tennessee quarterback rule out of season Following an injury against Mississippi State clash

Key Tennessee quarterback rule out of season Following an injury against Mississippi State clash

Star quarterback Nico Iamaleava unexpectedly exited the game due to an injury, changing the way the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers (7-1) play the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-7). At the beginning of the third quarter, the Vols were holding onto a 20-7 advantage. Iamaleava was supposed to lead the offense back onto the field to begin the second half, but Gaston Moore, a senior in his fifth year, started behind center instead. Later, Tennessee announced on the ESPN broadcast that Iamaleava will miss the rest of the game against Mississippi State because of an upper body injury. Iamaleava, a freshman redshirt, has started all of the Vols’ games this season as they aim to win the SEC title.

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’s playing time for Tennessee has been limited. In the 2020 recruiting class, the former UCF transfer had zero stars coming out of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, according to 247Sports. Gaston has a career total of two touchdowns and three interceptions in 12 games before Mississippi State. Iamaleava, a former five-star, has, nevertheless, passed for 1,705 yards this season, with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. Before leaving the game against the Bulldogs, Iamaleava had completed 8 of 13 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns.