James Pearce Jr. puts stamp on stellar season with memorable Citrus Bowl
ORLANDO, Fla. — James Pearce Jr. wasn't exactly sure why the Tennessee coaching staff had a defensive lineman on the jugs machine at practice.
On New Year's Day in Orlando, it became clear.
With the No. 21 Vols already leading by three scores—an almost insurmountable deficit for No. 17 Iowa's lethargic offense—it was Pearce that landed the knockout blow in a 35-0 victory in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
The sophomore edge rusher dropped back and moved over into the flat as Hawkeyes quarterback Deacon Hill rolled to his right. Hill never saw Pearce.
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Pearce stepped in front of the pass, then raced 52 yards down the sidelined, looking the part of seasoned defensive back as bolted for the end zone.
It was a defensive highlight in a game full of them for Tennessee (9-4), which earned its first bowl game shutout win in 67 years.
"(Pearce) is on the jugs a couple times a week just to make sure that he's ready for that opportunity," A grinning Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said as he looked at Pearce. "You might have asked why at one point in your career, but it is for that moment and nothing looks better than seeing a big man like him run down the sidelines."
James had plenty of big moments on Monday.
He put an emphatic stamp on a stellar sophomore campaign in which he led the Vols with 8.5 sacks. Pearce tallied another against Iowa along with a tackle for loss and forced fumble, which set up one of quarterback Nico Iamaleava's three touchdown runs a few plays later.
WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Josh Heupel, Nico Iamaleava, James Pearce Jr. recap Citrus Bowl win
"It's always a lot of fun to get to the quarterback, but he's back there, I got a job to do," Pearce said. "(I) got to beat the man up front and get to the quarterback somehow."
Pearce's play has been infectious, too.
Tyree West, who played opposite Pearce in the bowl game and in a bigger role because of the departure of Tyler Baron, came up with four tackles, 1.5 sacks and 1.5 TFLs of his own.
"James inspires me to go to work," West said. "If he's out there making good plays, he inspires me to go out there get it."
Tennessee is expected to return nearly all of its defensive front next season, including Pearce and West, which made its Citrus Bowl display all the more encouraging.
In a game where the Iowa defense was expected to be the headliner, the Vols weren't just better—they were dominant.
"We always want to come out and dominate at a really high level no matter who we are playing," Pearce said. "Knowing we are playing a tough defense, I guess the best defense won."
WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee shuts out Iowa to win Citrus Bowl
Pearce won't be overlooked in anyone's scouting reports next season. Opposing offenses emphasized him later in the 2023 regular season, but that did little to slow him down against Iowa.
In the week leading up to the game, Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks said Pearce needed to add some more versatility to his game. He's off to a great start in 2024.
"James has a great football future in front of him," Heupel said. "He is a great player right now, but really believe he has a chance to be extremely special. Just for him, continuing to grow and his understanding and football IQ as we continue to move him around and put him in positions to win is going to be extremely important as we go through this offseason.
"He is dynamic. He has multiple moves to affect the quarterback, but there's still growth in some of those fundamentals...He has a really rare and bright future in front of him."
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