Tennessee rolled in its regular season home finale on Saturday.
Behind a second quarter onslaught from the offense and an opportunistic defense that forced three turnovers, the No. 11 Vols thumped UTEP, 56-0 on Senior Day at Neyland Stadium
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Tennessee (9-2), coming off of a road loss at Georgia, improved its College Football Playoff chances with a convincing triumph coupled with a number of upsets sure to topple a few teams currently ranked ahead of it in the playoff rankings.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava shook off a sluggish first quarter to finish 17-of-23 passing for 209 yards and four touchdowns--a performance that was good enough to give him some rest in the fourth quarter ahead of the Vols' annual rivalry bout with Vanderbilt in Nashville next week, which now looms larger with a playoff bid at stake.
Here is everything Tennessee's redshirt freshman quarterback said.
On impact of Boo Carter in punt return game and setting up drive deep in plus territory
"It's great man. I've been seeing, you know, Boo Carter make plays since my junior year of high school. Played a couple of 7-on-7 tournaments with him. So I know how special he is with the ball in his hands. And man, you know, hopefully, we get him him on offense and see a little bit. So let's see."
On difference in offense between first and second quarter
"I just thought we started off cold and picked it up as a as the (second) quarter went on. We were just, you know, having too many errors early on, and we put it together as the game went on."
On what senior offensive lineman Cooper Mays and senior wide receiver Bru McCoy have meant to him
"(Mays and McCoy) mean everything, man. These two guys right here, man. I'm super glad they came back. These are really my two older brothers, man. You know, they've helped me with everything, just being here as a young guy. I'm glad I got these two guys to lean on. It's going to be sad for me to see them go, man, but I real I really love these boys, man. These got these guys are my brothers."
On handling frustrations after a slow start
"It's hard, man. You know, at the first play of the game, I missed the touchdown (to Squirrel White). And, really, from from a young age, I think I've just always been able to move on fromcertain plays. I really want that one back. It would have got the crowd, you know, hyped and stuff, but I missed that one. And then I really just try and focus on what the next play is and not stuff like that affect how I play."
On Bru McCoy scoring his first and second touchdowns of the season vs. UTEP
"We've been trying to get him in the end zone, you know, this whole year. So glad we finally got him two today. I hope, you know, it continues on the rest of the season."
On his first touchdown pass to Bru McCoy
"The first one was just a a fade and I played Bru (McCoy) one of my best match ups. And, I'm glad I was able to deliver a ball to him where he got two feet in. I was I was super excited to finally see him getting the answer."
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