Why Josh Heupel was proud of Nico Iamaleava in Tennessee football vs Alabama

Nico Iamaleava picked the seat between Dont’e Thornton and Chris Brazzell.

The two Tennessee football wide receivers had changed or cleaned up. Not Iamaleava. The Vols quarterback was still in his uniform when he settled in for a postgame press conference.

“I couldn’t get to my locker and change my stuff up,” Iamaleava said.

That’s what happens to the Vols quarterback when you beat Alabama (5-2, 2-2 SEC). Iamaleava — missteps and all — joined that club as an Alabama-beating QB on Saturday as No. 10 Tennessee (6-1, 3-1) downed No. 7 Alabama 24-17 at Neyland Stadium.

What Josh Heupel liked about Nico Iamaleava’s game against Alabama

Iamaleava made a perfect throw when he had to. He spiraled the ball to Brazzell, who dove and hauled in a 16-yard catch for the eventual game-winning touchdown. 

It was the culmination of what Vols coach Josh Heupel loved about Iamaleava in the second half.

“Here’s a lot of things, just physical, mental toughness that I really liked,” Heupel said.

Iamaleava was 14-for-27 passing for 194 yards with the touchdown to Brazzell and an interception.

He had moments of greatness. The touchdown to Brazzell was notable. So was the throw Iamaleava uncorked to Thornton, a 55-yard beauty rolling to his right. That third-down success set up a touchdown for the Vols to take a 14-10 lead. He set up another touchdown earlier in the quarter with a 27-yard run. 

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The Vols scored twice on three drives in the third quarter after going scoreless in the first half for the third straight game. 

“Quarterbacks, it’s toughness,” Heupel said. “It’s mental toughness and it matters the most.”

What is next for Nico Iamaleava 

Iamaleava had a quick answer for what went wrong with Tennessee’s offense in the first half.

“I missed a shot to Squirrel (White) on the touchdown,” Iamaleava said.

Iamaleava believed if he made that throw for an early touchdown, the offense would have gotten rolling and the game would have gone differently. He has missed those throws often in the past few games, including the walk-in touchdown to White. 

He missed another to Brazzell in the first and one to Bru McCoy in the fourth.

Iamaleava made his eighth career start Saturday. He has struggled in SEC play and has yet to throw for more than 200 yards in an SEC game. Inconsistencies throwing downfield have been the main issue in conference play. 

“I got to be better on that,” Iamaleava said of the early miss to White.

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He was good enough thanks to a pair of elite fourth-quarter throws. Those throws will be remembered because Tennessee won, which caused the celebration that led to “Ni-co!” chants from fans who stormed the field. 

Iamaleava sat in his dirty jersey saying he was glad that Tennessee played the way it did in the second half. But he also knows he has to be better. 

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.