The Tennessee Volunteers had a big win over the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Saturday night as the game concluded with a victory by 41 points. The offense found its true self in the second half as the majority of the scoring came in the third quarter as the Vols put up 17 points.

Some position groups are to be thanked more than others. So, let’s get into it with this week’s offensive grade report.

Quarterback: B-

Nico Iamaleava didn’t have exactly the game you’d hope for, as he did just a little over a week ago when he and the Vols took on the Chattanooga Mocs. However, it was good enough to get the job done. We saw tons of bright spots including a 31-yard TD run up the middle behind great blocking from the line up front. He had some solid passes as well including a 45-yard pass that was caught by Squirrel White, responding the possession after one of his two interceptions. Miles Kitselman and Holden Staes both had TD receptions from the talented QB placing a good ball in their hands.

The issue with Iamaleava felt like the jitters; at times, it seemed he was holding the ball a bit long. He also turned the ball over twice in this game one of which was not entirely his fault as he took a big hit in the backfield which resulted in the Wolfpack gaining six more points off of a defensive touchdown from Aydan White which went 87 yards to the end zone.

However, the other one you can discredit him for is that he was targeting Bru McCoy across the middle, and the ball was picked off by Bishop Fitzgerald early on in the game, resulting in a solid return of 29 yards. The mistakes made aren’t all that concerning as the good from Iamaleava still showed as he had three touchdowns on the day however the mistakes must be acknowledged.

Running Backs: A

The running game was rather efficient throughout the game as star back and third-year player Dylan Sampson was the headline back as expected as he finished the game with two touchdowns 132 yards and 20 carries on the day. His longest run was 34 yards, an electric touchdown that he bounced to the outside to inflict more misery on both Wolfpack players and fans. He was everything you’d hope for him to be as on average he was averaging 6.6 yards per carry which is very good considering his amount of carries due to Cameron Seldon not being available to go for this one.

This meant that the primary backup for the game would then be former “Mr. Football” winner in the state of Tennessee DeSean Bishop who had 42 yards on 10 carries. Not a bad night for Bishop who spent last season with a season-ending injury so to see him getting in the mix early on this season is huge and he stepped up big time with Seldon being absent.

Wide Receivers: C

The least impressive group from the contest was the wide receivers. This is due to the fact that a few players you’d expect more out of didn’t produce like you’d hoped. This starts with Dont’e Thornton Jr. who was coming off of his best Tennessee career game. Thornton didn’t get as many reps as some of the others. However, when he did he simply wasn’t producing. He didn’t have a catch on the day .

Next up would be arguably the most disappointing performance… with Bru McCoy. McCoy had the opportunity for a few big plays that didn’t his way. He could’ve had a two-touchdown day as on one he got behind a NC State defender but couldn’t connect with Iamleava. A second touchdown opportunity came in the form of a redzone opportunity when Iamaleava found McCoy and though he caught the ball, failed to keep his feet in bounds. McCoy ended the day with one catch for 10 yards.

Squirrel White was perhaps the bright spot in the unit on Saturday night, making a spectacular catch on a switch release down the sideline, diving to make the grab.

Offensive Line: A-

Overall it was a good day for the line despite Iamaleava taking a few hits in the backfield. NC State’s gameplan was clear from the start, they were going to pressure the quarterback, dedicating bodies to the box out of their 3-3-5 defense. It wasn’t a perfect game at all as Iamaleava throwing a pick 6 was in result of a bad snap from this offensive line unit. However, not allowing a sack is huge for this team against a top-25 team so you can’t rank it too low.

The offensive line’s best standout was former Miami transfer John Campbell who had plenty of pancakes that you’d think he was going to IHOP! It’s always good to see the Vols doing well against a solid defense up front because it used to be bad for years. The way this line has protected Iamaleava so far has been great. You just have to hope that continues.

The good news for this unit? You rush for 249 yards on 44 attemps, averaging 5.7 yards per carry, you’re offensive line doesn’t deserve too much scrutiny.

Tight Ends: A+

This group did an amazing job not only blocking and allowing the run game to open up but on receiving as well. Miles Kitselman was the biggest surprise here as he had a touchdown following a wide-open slip screen and a beautiful pass that landed in his hands from Iamaleava. This was one of if not the best play call of the night. Though Heupel designed and called another walk-in TD to new transfer addition from Notre Dame, Holden Staes.

This group is looking promising and this coaching staff as well as Iamaleava have done a great job getting them involved and it has worked early on this season.

Other Tennessee News:

Join the Community:

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking “Follow” on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VCountryFN.

The inactive players for the Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears have officially been revealed ahead of their season opener on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Soldier Field.

Among the inactive players for the Titans is safety Jamal Adams, who has been dealing with a hip injury and was ruled out earlier in the week. Adams was unable to practice throughout the week due to the injury.

For the Bears, receiver Tyler Scott and running back Roschon Johnson were both healthy scratches. Defensive end Montez Sweat and receiver Keenan Allen were both on the injury report but will play for Chicago.

Here is the list of inactive players for both teams.

Titans:
S Jamal Adams
LB Otis Reese IV
OL John Ojukwu
TE David Martin-Robinson
TE Thomas Odukoya
LB Ali Gaye

Bears:
WR Tyler Scott
LB Noah Sewell
OL Kiran Amegadjie
DL Zacch Pickens
RB Roschon Johnson
OL Bill Murray
DL Dominique Robinson

The matchup between the Titans and Bears is one of the more under-the-radar and intriguing matchups in Week 1. For Tennessee, it is the first game with Bill Callahan as head coach and quarterback Will Levis enters the second season of his NFL career with a chance to cement himself as the franchise quarterback. Levis threw for 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions in nine starts as a rookie in 2023.

Tennessee also made a pair of big additions in the offseason, signing receiver Calvin Ridley to a four-year deal in free agency and acquiring cornerback L’Jarius Sneed via trade from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chicago enters this season with much higher expectations than in recent years. Along with a strong finish to last season, the Bears added quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He’ll make his NFL debut alongside Rome Odunze, who the Bears took with the No. 9 overall pick.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Social media was on fire after No. 14 Tennessee’s win over No. 24 NC State on Saturday night in Charlotte.

While the reaction to the Vols’ first game mainly revolved around Nico Iamaleava’s record-setting first-half showing, the buzz on Saturday night was all about Tennessee being a complete, well-balanced unit.

The Vols’ defense held NC State to just 143 total yards, 104 through the air and 39 on the ground. NC State quarterback Grayson McCall was never able to get comfortable throughout the contest while running back Hollywood Smothers was wrapped up in the backfield all night. Tennessee was just too much for NC State to handle on this night and they never let the Wolfpack mark their territory.

More from RTI: RTI Instant Reaction: Breaking Down Tennessee Football’s Blowout Win Over NC State
Tennessee-NC State: Four Quick Takeaways as Tennessee Splatters NC State In Charlotte

Here’s a look at some of the top social media reactions from Tennessee’s 51-10 win over NC State on Saturday night in the Duke’s Classic Kickoff.

i love the Nico for Heisman hopes, but when do we start including @dylans21527 in that conversation?

— Drew Beam (@drewbeam_) September 8, 2024

Josh Heupel: The standard at Tennessee is to be elite on defense. This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson, Eric Berry.

Heupel delivers a strong statement after beating NC State 51-10 // ⁦@rockytopinsider⁩ pic.twitter.com/xANmTEUlhh

— Ric Butler (@Ric_Butler) September 8, 2024

Tennessee is a playoff team.

— Brandon Walker (@BFW) September 8, 2024

NC State snaps the ball.

Tennessee’s DLine: pic.twitter.com/iU6i7Yl3kH

Advertisement

— Notorious N.I.C. (@the7maxims) September 8, 2024

Tennessee is legit scary because that defense has real juice and it’s simply of matter of when Nico goes BOOM.

When 2-2 happen in the same game, the Vols will be very tough to beat.

— Jesse Simonton (@JesseReSimonton) September 8, 2024

Nico 4 Heisman

— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) September 8, 2024

Nico may be underpaid

— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) September 8, 2024

Advertisement

Tennessee to NC State right now. pic.twitter.com/JnJvRpWKb3

— Blackniss Everdeen™ (@RockyTopKeith) September 8, 2024

Haters: “it was only Chattanooga, we’ll see what happens when Tennessee plays a Top 25 team next week”

Tennessee: *demolishes NC State*

Haters: “that don’t count”

— Lace✨ (@lace_jay_bee) September 8, 2024

50 piece lemon pepper wings on NC State 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Go Vols! pic.twitter.com/DQmudrPrC4

— Ramon Foster (@RamonFoster) September 8, 2024

Advertisement

Colorado – spanked
Kentucky – embarrassed
Michigan – cheaters proved to be frauds
Bama – looked terrible
Oklahoma – looked worse
Notre Dame – worst L of the decade
Vols – Win

Been a pretty good day

— BigOrangePunch (@BigOrangePunch) September 8, 2024

Nico right now: pic.twitter.com/1QHgCbPzcv

— Chad Fields (Vols Uniform Boy) (@CfieldsVFL) September 8, 2024

Even though that TD didn’t count, that is the difference in Nico and why this Vols offense has a chance to be SPECIAL

— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) September 8, 2024

Difference between these teams: Bishop sprints the length of the field to try and prevent a pick-6. NC State defenders gave up when Sampson crossed the 15. Culture matters, and Tennessee worked a lot on it in the offseason.

— Brian Rice (@briancrice) September 8, 2024

Advertisement