'Man is he talented': N.C. State coach says Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava is 'fun to watch'
Dave Doeren knows what his North Carolina State football team is going up against Saturday night, even if the sample size is limited. He’s seen the same Nico Iamaleava highlights that everyone else has seen.
“Man is he talented,” Doeren said on Monday. “He’s fun to watch.”
Iamaleava completed 22 of 28 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns in Tennessee 69-3 win over Chattanooga on Saturday, making his first start at Neyland Stadium after taking over the full-time duties at quarterback.
He didn’t play in the second half, after leading the Vols to a 45-0 lead at halftime.
No. 14 Tennessee vs. No. 24 N.C. State, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
The next assignment for No. 14 Tennessee (1-0) and its dazzling redshirt freshman quarterback is No. 24 N.C. State (1-0) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ABC) in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
“Saturday he was completing every ball, throwing accurate, on time, shows touch, shows arm strength, shows mobility,” Doeren said. “Their running backs run really hard. They protect well. He’s got a veteran offensive line and a deep, fast receiver group that has a lot of different varieties in it.
“So it’s a great challenge and a great opportunity to have.”
The other challenge is the limited tape available on Iamaleava. He made his first career start in the 35-0 win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day in Orlando, combining for 178 total yards and four total touchdowns.
Doeren said his team will lean on film from last week, from the bowl game and even the “kind of vanilla” Tennessee spring game back in April.
“You can watch Coach Heupel’s offense for a long time and see what it is,” Doeren said. “The players within it are going to be what makes it go, but the scheme itself hasn’t changed a lot over the years. It’s just the guys that are playing in it and what they’re capable of doing.
“But it’s Week 2. Week 2 in a game where they only played 50% of the game with their starters (in Week 1), so there’s going to be some adjusting. There’s going to be some unknowns and that’s just how it is. It’s going to be the same for them with us.”
Nico Iamaleava in Week 1: 22-28, 314 yards, 3 TDs
Western Carolina led N.C. State 21-17 in the third quarter last week, before the Wolfpack rallied with a 21-point fourth quarter to win 38-21.
Quarterback Grayson McCall completed 26 of 40 passes for 318 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the win. Jordan Waters rushed 20 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns and Kevin Concepcion caught nine passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns.
“Our offense is going to evolve too as the season goes on from Week 1 to Week 2 in particular,” Doeren said, “that’s part of the coaching.”
On Saturday night, both teams will be making adjustments on the fly.
“You get on the sideline and you look at the iPads and see what they’re doing,” Doeren said, “and our guys have to do a great job within the game. Winning their one-on-ones and tackling and using the rules and tools of each side of the ball to adjust the things that we didn’t practice.”
