What Nico Iamaleava said after No. 8 Tennessee's overtime win over Florida

Nico Iamaleava completed 16 of 26 passes for 169 yards with an interception and No. 8 Tennessee ran 43 times for 171 yards on the way to a 23-17 overtime win over Florida Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee’s defense allowed less than 20 points for the sixth straight game to start the season, the first time the Vols have done so since 1969. James Pearce forced a Florida fumble on the Tennessee 1-yard line and the Vols made a pair of fourth-down stops while forcing two turnovers.

Here’s what Iamaleava, Pearce and defensive back Jermod McCoy said during their press conference after the win:

Tennessee going to the jumbo package with two defensive linemen on the field on offense

“Oh yeah, it was great man. Our short-yardage package, had a good package with a couple D-linemen coming in and helping us get that first down on the third-and-short, fourth-and-short situations.”

Knowing Tennessee’s defense is going to have the offense’s back 

“Feels great, man. They’re doing a great job. We got to do a better job at complementing them. When they get a stop or three-and-outs, we got to do a better job at coming out there and executing for them.”

What Tennessee’s offense needs to do to stay in rhythm

“We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot, man. A lot of penalties out there when we’d have a big play. And we’d be right back and starting off in first-and-20. Just haven’t been helping ourselves out with, with the penalties we’ve been shooting ourselves with. First drive we come out, we are in a good drive and then we fumble the ball. On me. I got to be better with the handoff. And then our defense gets a strip on the goal line and I come out and I throw a pick in the double coverage. So stuff like that, man, I got to be better. We got to operate better, at a higher level. We just can’t keep shooting ourselves in the foot.” 

If it’s hard not to get frustrated

“Very. I think Coach Heup and them do a great job of keeping us calm on the sideline. And you going out there and letting our hands go for 12 rounds. So that was really our mentality, man. Coach Heup preached it was going to be a boxing fight going into it and it very much so.”

The buzz created by what he wore during the Vol Walk 

“I had a little button up and a little ie lavalava for our culture, our Samoan culture. We wear those. And then I had the little cowboy hat from my QBs, that had had got me a little cowboy hat. So I had to wear it for them.”

What this week was like, how he handled the Arkansas loss

“It was just a great week of preparation, just overall as our whole offense. I thought we prepared well. And yeah, where I’m at right now, I feel like I’m still still in the same spot. Still trying to achieve that same goal as everybody else on the team.”

Going down 10-0 in the second half, how big Tennessee’s touchdown drive was to answer 

“Very big man. We knew we needed to respond as soon as they went up 10. I thought our whole offense did a great job responding. O-line was blocking their tails off and receivers were making right reads. And I thought we just operated at a high level on those scoring drives.”

If he was surprised Tennessee went for it on fourth down from its own 10-yard line

“So did we get it? My bad, I got bad memory from the first half. First half was not a good half of football. But no, I was not surprised. Fourth-and-one. We should be able to go get that every time.”

What he saw from Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson 

“Yeah man, I see the same thing from Samp every night, every practice. He comes with it. His preparation is second to none. And yeah man, it is really no surprise seeing him out there and going and balling.”

What Dylan Sampson told the team before the game

“Yeah, a lot of stuff that doesn’t need to be said here. He said a lot of good stuff though. Got got our guys right and ready for the game.”

Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce

The Florida fumble he forced on the 1-yard line

“I seen him trying to reach. Game plan said that sneak was coming. So I just tried to crush it as much as possible. He tried to bubble it and the ball came out. Great birthday present for me.”

The confidence Tennessee’s defense is playing with

“I feel like everybody’s playing great. We playing as one. We got some things that we can clean up, but we’re playing as one. I feel like that’s what driving our confidence. Like no matter what we playing on the stat sheet, we’re playing as one. Eleven hats getting to the ball and we’re getting the ball back to Nico how we’re supposed to.” 

Getting more attention from opposing offenses, finding way to have success

“Well, it’s just my job to play in the scheme of the defense. Coach going to dial up what we need to win. And we’re just going to get after it as a team on the (defensive) side.”

The first month of the season for him, what it has been like the last two weeks

“(I) just know that like the games (where we were) out in front them, games that we play as a team. No matter if I’m playing not as much snaps or many snaps, I know that down the back stretch, the team going to need me and I’m going to have a time to show up. And as long as I keep playing the scheme of defense until it’s my time, I’ll be okay.”

How tough it will be to turnaround from Florida to face Alabama next week

“I just feel like Alabama is a big team. Tonight was a big win and it means a lot to the culture for Tennessee to go out here and play and play great anytime that we play in the rivalry school. And I feel like it’s our job to show up as one, prepare the same and be ready to go next Saturday.”

Not worrying about the stats and being more concerned with Tennessee’s defense as a whole 

“Numbers are, but you’ll like the win more and more than you putting numbers on. I said that before the season even started. And it’s hard not to be tender about things you love, but tender is not the way to go.”

Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy

Tennessee’s defense being confident that it will get stops on third and fourth downs, where that confidence comes from

“Just from our film study. Kind of knowing what’s coming to us, knowing we’re fixing to make a play off of that.”