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Nico Iamaleava hits Miles Kitselman for go-ahead touchdown, jaws with Vanderbilt defender

Stephen Samraby:Steve Samra•11/30/24•

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Nico Iamaleava
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nico Iamaleava and the Tennessee Volunteers overcame a slow start to take the lead ahead of halftime over Vanderbilt, and the quarterback let Commodores defender Kolbey Taylor know about it.

After delivering a strike to tight end Miles Kitselman for the go-ahead touchdown, Iamaleava met his teammates in the end-zone, where he found Taylor walking back to the Vanderbilt sidelines. That’s when the quarterback let his mouth do some work, jawing at the Commodores defender in an animated fashion.

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Check out the video of the incident below, shared to X (formerly known as Twitter) by Reece Van Haaften of WATE 6 in Knoxville. Taylor was flagged on the play, adding insult to injury for the Commodores in Nashville prior to halftime.

The impressive touchdown pass capped off an awesome first half for the Volunteers star. While he started slow, Iamaleava ended up accumulating 201 passing yards and three touchdowns after an early interception put his team in a hole, competing 10-of-14 pass attempts.

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While Vanderbilt is upset-minded on Saturday, Tennessee is dreaming of the College Football Playoff. A win over their in-state rival would likely clinch their spot in the 12-team dance, while a loss could spell disaster for the Volunteers.

Additionally, the Commodores haven’t been able to defeat the Volunteers in their last five attempts. Tennessee fans may have taken over Nashville, but it’s evident Clark Lea’s team isn’t going away quietly.

It’s been a Herculean effort from Nico Iamaleava thus far, and if Vanderbilt can’t figure out a way to stop him from throwing touchdowns and talking some mess afterwards, it’s going to be a long second half.