Josh Heupel updates the progress of Tennessee freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava
Josh Heupel said on Monday that the progress of Nico Iamaleava is moving in the right direction. It just so happens to be taking place behind closed doors as the five-star freshman quarterback works through his first season with the Vols.
“He’s done a good job,” Heupel said during his weekly press conference on Monday.
Iamaleava has played in two games this season, last making an appearance in the 45-14 win over UTSA on September 30 at Neyland Stadium. He also played in Tennessee’s 49-13 win over Virginia to open the season on September 2 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
“Continues to prepare the right way,” Heupel said of Iamaleava’s work in Tennessee’s closed practices through the week. “Continuing to gain a deeper understanding of what we’re doing. And obviously week to week is seeing a lot of different defensive structures that he’s got continue to prepare for. So (I) like what’s done.”
Nico Iamaleava in two games: 2-5 passing, 11 yards; 2 rushes, 8 yards
Iamaleava completed 2 of 3 passes fro 11 yards and ran once for eight yards in his Tennessee debut against Virginia. He was 0-for-2 passing against UTSA and was credited with one rush attempt for a loss of four yards.
Starting quarterback Joe Milton III in seven games has completed 140 of 223 passes for 1,535 yards. He has 12 touchdowns against four interceptions, a completion percentage of 62.7 and a QB rating of 134.77. He’s averaging 219.2 yards per game.
The 34-20 loss at Alabama on Saturday, Milton completed 28 of 41 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns. He ran a season-high 15 times for 59 yards.
“I thought he continued to compete,” Heupel said of Milton, “continued to fight throughout the course of the ball game. Really good decision-making for a majority of the football game. Was accurate with football.
Milton’s previous season high in rush attempts was nine against Virginia in Week 1. He ran eight times against Texas A&M two weeks ago after having just 15 carries over the previous four games.
“I thought he made plays with his feet,” Heupel said of Milton’s play at Alabama. “Some of that was in quarterback run game, some design, some not. Some of it was him scrambling around making some plays. There were some positive signs.”
Up Next: No. 21 Tennessee at Kentucky, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
The added emphasis on Milton running, Heupel explained, helped with spacing against Alabama.
“Every scheme’s a little bit different,” he said, “how you can attack them and try and find an edge for your players. That’s why things change from week to week a little bit.”
There was another added emphasis from Milton himself, finishing his runs with physicality. Heupel said he’s fine with his quarterback lowering his shoulder and initiating contact, depending on the situation.
“Everybody, the end of their runs are a little bit different,” Heupel said. “Ability to slide, their comfort, dive, get down. Situationally too, the hidden yards in the game when needed. There’s times when he should probably get down, but, again, I liked the way they ran football.”
