There's something about Nico Iamaleava and his tight ends.

After both of his touchdowns in his true freshmen season found tight ends, his first touchdown strike of 2024 also hit the position group.

This time, it was a four-yard reception by Ethan Davis that found the checkerboards.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Last season, Iamaleava went 28-for-45 for 314 yards and two touchdowns. He did not throw an interception. He also punched it in three times on the ground, all in his bowl game start against Iowa.

Davis caught three passes for 33 yards a long of 19 in his true freshman season.

Iamaleava followed this up in the game against Chattanooga with a 36-yard touchdown throw to Dont'e Thornton in the following drive. This was just the second play of the drive after Chris Brazzell caught a pass over the middle.

This was Thornton's second touchdown as a Vol after reeling one in against Missouri on a play that held him out the rest of the season.

With 7:18 left in the first quarter, Iamaleava was 8-for-8 with 96 yards and two touchdowns.

Iamaleava would improve to 10-for-10 passing before throwing an incompletion. On that fourth drive of the game, the Vols settled for a field goal with over three minutes to go in the first quarter.

Tennessee took a 24-0 lead while Iamaleava owned a stat line of 11-for-12, 157 yards and two touchdowns.

The Vols took over again with just under a minute on the clock and began a drive before time expired. Iamaleava added another completion on one attempt to his line to bring it to 176 yards.

This drive would result in Dylan Sampson's second touchdown of the game after Iamaleava found Bru McCoy for 37-yard completion to put the ball inside the five.

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