Cooper Mays didn't have time to react. He didn't need to.

Tennessee, coming out of the locker room at halftime at Neyland Stadium on Saturday night, had a two-score lead over Mississippi State that felt like it could have been more.

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After more than a month of first half struggles, No. 7 Vols' offense had showed signs of improvement in the first half, but they were going to have to try and build on it without their starting quarterback in Nico Iamaleava, who passed for 174 yards and two touchdowns in two quarters.

Iamaleava was ruled out for the remainder of the game with an upper bod injury and wouldn't return. Gaston Moore, in his fourth season at Tennessee and a backup to three different quarterbacks in that span, was going to go the rest of the way.

Moore was efficient in the Vols' 33-14 victory, finishing 5-of-8 passing for 38 yards, but calmly running the offense in a game that at times was closer than expected.

"We weren't really sure (what happened to Iamaleava). But we had a lot of confidence in Gaston," Mays, the fifth-year center said. "We didn't really skip a beat...I think Gaston has been ready for that all year."

That confidence was evident when Moore went deep on two passes on the Vols' second possession of the third quarter--just three weeks after he briefly entered for Iamaleava and threw an interception on his one and only throw against Alabama.

Both throws were incomplete, but they did draw back-to-back defensive pass interference penalties that totaled 30 yards. That drive ended in a Max Gilbert field goal to extend Tennessee's lead.

That was enough for the Vols (8-1, 5-1 SEC), who had to hold off the Bulldogs (2-8, 0-6) after they trimmed their deficit to 23-14 in the third before Tennessee scored 10 unanswered to win its fourth-straight game.

"Good to see (Moore) go operate the way that we know he can," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. "He's a smart decision maker. Aggressive when it was time, controlled everything from clock, play calls, stress. Did a really good job. When the guys found out he was going in, they were excited for him and they believed in him. They went out and played the way they needed to to make his job easier for him, too."

Moore was an unrated prospect out of Hilton Head Prep School and walked on at Central Florida in 2020. After one season on the scout team, he followed Heupel to Tennessee.

He was the third string quarterback in a room that featured Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton III. When Hooker left for the NFL after the 2022 season, he moved up to No. 2 before Iamaleava took over the midway through 2023.

Before Saturday, his role was limited to running out the clock in games where the Vols were up big. This time, he was needed to get them to the finish line in an SEC game.

"Everybody really had confidence (in Moore)," Mays said. "There wasn't really a big huddle, but everyone was communicating, making each other feel more confident. We believe in Gaston. We know he's been ready for this. We were all good."

How much Tennessee will need to use Moore going forward remains to be seen.

Heupel provided a positive update on Iamaleava following the game, saying that the coaching staff "anticipates" him returning for the Vols' critical road bout at No. 3 Georgia with heavy SEC Championship Game and College Football Playoff implications.

Heupel added that the decision not to play Iamaleava in the second half against Mississippi State was more about precaution than an indication of him not being able to play for an extended amount of time.

Tennessee, now in position to improve their standing in the next playoff rankings after a number of top 10 teams were toppled on Saturday, will undoubtedly need Iamaleava back, especially.

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