Nico Iamaleava played in the snow once. He played pretty well, too.
Before the once heralded high school football prospect turned into Tennessee’s starting quarterback, he dazzled in the 7-on-7 circuit two years ago.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
One of those performances took place in Chicago in 2022 in the snow. Iamaleava, a Long Beach, California native, tossed for two touchdowns that afternoon in an outing he graded as "not too bad."
His concerns for the No. 9 Vols’ College Football Playoff debut at No. 8 Ohio State at Ohio Stadium in frigid Columbus, are more the top 10 Buckeyes defense he will be facing and less about the weather.
"I think it is (focuses too much on the weather)," Iamaleava quipped earlier this week. "But I will be ready to go play on whatever weather we get.”
Senior wide receiver Bru McCoy, another product of Southern California, hasn't thought much about the forecasted 20-degree temperature and potential snow fall leading up to kickoff, either.
In fact, it hasn't been on the minds of many Tennessee players. At least that's what they're saying.
"Really, once you get out there on the field and get going, it becomes a non-factor," McCoy said. "Most of it's mental. You just can't let that mess with your preparation. You've got to be mindful of it because you might have to change some of your routine to stay a little bit warmer. But other than that, it's part of the game."
For the Vols (10-2), some of that preparation has included practicing outside in the recent weeks, though temperatures in Knoxville have varied, ranging from the low 30s to upper 50s. But most of their preparation has been on Ohio State, where Iamaleava will face much bigger challenges than the one his 7-on-7 team did a few years ago.
Tennessee's redshirt freshman signal caller, who has grown up a lot over the last month and has overseen an offensive resurgence as of late, knows it, too.
“I think just game by game, man, me continuing to get better with every rep I take" Iamaleava said. "Just learning from every rep I take, getting better from those reps. And we’ve been able to pull out some wins in the back end of the season. And I look forward to going into the postseason.”
The Buckeyes (10-2) will offer the Vols' their most daunting task to date and now with their season and a playoff quarterfinal bid against No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl on the line.
Ohio State ranks first in total defense, giving up just 241.5 yards per game. It ranks sixth in stopping the run—Tennessee's strong suit—at 97.3 yards allowed per game and second in passing yards allowed at 144.3.
If the Vols have really put the first half offensive woes that plagued them in the first part of SEC play behind them, there will be no better time to prove it than on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN).
"I think this group as a whole, one of the things that I really appreciate about them is how mature they are as competitors," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. "The ability to play the next play independently, play for each other. (They've) got a great mindset and you know, as you get into games like this against great opponents—(Ohio State) has a good scheme, good coaches and really good personnel.
"Understanding there's going to be ebbs and flows in the ball game and you've got to continue to play and compete."
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