Finally, the Tennessee Volunteers‘ dream season in the NCAAF came to an end. Facing a solid team like the Ohio State Buckeyes, they showed no mercy, delivering a tough defeat to their rivals. Nico Iamaleava didn’t shy away from the criticism and made it clear where the game was lost.
Once the game concluded, with the visitors ultimately falling to Ryan Day’s team by a commanding 42-17 scoreline, head coach Josh Heupel expressed his disappointment with his team’s performance, a sentiment echoed by the talented quarterback.
“Yeah, just started off slow. We were supposed to come in, had a great game plan to come in and fire first, and they hit us in the mouth first. We were just trying to recover that whole game,” Iamaleava stated to the press.
He also added: “First half I thought we did a great job of that, and second half coming in I thought we could have played at a way higher level than we did.“
Tennessee vs Ohio State DEC 21 December 21, 2024: Ben Bolton (33) LB of Ohio tackles a Tennessee player during the second half of the NCAA first round playoffs Tennessee vs Ohio State at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Having defeated Tennessee, the Ohio State Buckeyes will now face off against the only team to finish the regular season undefeated: the Oregon Ducks, led by Dan Lanning, in the next round.
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Iamaleava reflects on how to move forward after the loss
Logically, no one enjoys these types of defeats, however, Josh Heupel’s Volunteers have nothing to reproach themselves for after the great campaign they’ve had this year. Nico Iamaleava, a leader on the field for the Vols, made it clear how they plan to move forward from here after the loss to the Buckeyes.
“I think just use it as motivation. We’ve been putting in work since January to get to this point, and it sucks to go out that way because that’s not who we are,” he stated to the press.
“I love this team. I love the team we have. Just the way tonight went was not the way we wanted it to go, and we’ll use that as fuel and motivation during this off-season to really hit it.”
The QB thanked the fans for their support
One of the standout stories of the day was undoubtedly the large number of Tennessee fans who traveled to Ohio Stadium to support their team. Despite the cold temperatures, Volunteers supporters made their presence felt, and the players on the field could feel their energy and encouragement.
Iamaleava said: “Yeah, man, I love it. Man, I was so happy to see all the orange in the stands. It sucks the performance we gave out for them, but I hope they get home safe, man. I really appreciate their support.“
