(Photo: University of Tennessee Athletics)
Campus Clash
(14) Tennessee Volunteers at (24) North Carolina State Wolfpack
Tennessee: What a Saturday it was for the SEC. The Ole Miss Rebels, Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas Longhorns (which I’m still getting used to saying), Oklahoma Sooners, Missouri Tigers, and of course, Georgia Bulldogs all dominated their games and they weren’t even close. The same can be said about the team from Knoxville, Tennessee as they also dominated and handled business against Chattanooga in week one. I remember watching them closely in 2022 when Hendon Hooker was their Quarterback as they were taking the game and wowing everyone in the process. I said it then, and I’ll say it now almost two years later. That group was good enough to be a playoff team in my eyes. Unfortunately, they just ran into the Georgia Bulldogs on a Saturday in November this year. The SEC has always been an intriguing conference and it still is to this very day. Georgia is still Georgia and they will be a tough out, Alabama will begin their next chapter without Nick Saban and Ole Miss enters the year with some hype. It’s easy to understand why the Tennessee Volunteers are flying under the radar but this is a team you should pay attention to and there’s one name that stands out: The Quarterback: Nico Iamaleava. The hype is real surrounding this kid. First, he’s a big guy standing tall at 6’6 and weighs 215 pounds and next, he’s in full command of Josh Heupel’s offense. Look at this stat line. He was 22 of 28 with 314 yards passing and three touchdowns. All of this happened in the first half. If they continue to play like this at Quarterback, they could be a threat in the SEC. On Saturday night, they will go to Charlotte, North Carolina to battle the NC State Wolf Pack.
NC State: For a bit, they appeared to be on the ropes against Western Carolina. They were down twice at one time to the unranked opponent, but when the fourth quarter came, they turned away from the opponent and scored 21 points in the quarter en route to an opening weekend victory. I know it’s early and we haven’t seen much, but the ACC seems to be up for grabs. Clemson just flat out quit in Atlanta against the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida State Seminoles who were picked by many to not only win the ACC but were predicted to be one of the top four seeds in the College Football Playoff have come out the gates struggling losing their first two games as the tenth-ranked team in the country. Could this be the year for Head Coach Dave Doeren and his team in Raleigh? I will say the Wolfpack have some believers this year and rightfully so because Dave upgraded at Quarterback and was able to land Grayson McCall, the former Coastal Carolina Quarterback who put together some big seasons at Coastal with 88 career touchdown passes and only 14 interceptions. I like the presence he displays in the pocket. Even with pressure all in his vicinity, he still finds a way to stand tall and fire that ball. Grayson can also spread the ball around and find the open guy and it doesn’t matter who it is. If you’re open, you are getting the ball. I wasn’t a fan of how their defense looked throughout the game, but they were able to pitch that shoutout in the fourth quarter. This Saturday, they will make a trip to Charlotte and will host the Tennessee Volunteers in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl classic.
Tennessee X-Factor: Dylan Sampson– This is a key piece to the offensive puzzle in Knoxville. Dylan is that smaller Running Back, but moves very powerfully with the ball in his hands. He’s not afraid to run the ball up the middle for those hard-fought yards and he can also bounce outside. Dylan is decisive with violent cuts and can do anything you want a Running Back to do. He is also a key piece in the passing game serving as basically another receiver at the disposal of the Quarterback. The Vols offensive attack is fueled by a running game with several pieces in that Running Back room and Dylan is the leader of this group.
NC State X-Factor: Noah Rogers– This was another guy that Dave was able to land to play for him. Noah was once on the Ohio State roster, but that room was crowded and I’m all for a guy looking to get his opportunity to play when he can. I already like the chemistry that Noah has with Grayson McCall. Whether it was outside of the numbers or running routes over the middle, the receiver made catches. I see a very twitchy guy in space with the ball in his hands. Noah also doesn’t hesitate to run his routes and catch the ball in traffic. He’s tough and doesn’t mind some contact.
Final Thoughts: I honestly had no idea what else I would preview in college this week after the big game of course at the Big House. This Quarterback matchup intrigues me. I’ve seen Grayson play a few times and I expect him to play better on Saturday night. On the other side, this will be my first time seeing Nico Iamaleava play and I’m anxious to see what he can do on the field. This isn’t necessarily a true road game, but I expect this to be the most hostile environment that Nico will have played in. Grayson wasn’t the greatest in week one, but his weapons were great and if he can play the wilber of football he’s capable of displaying, it could give the Wolfpack a true advantage in this game. This will also be the best front seven that Grayson will play and I expect the Vols to throw a lot at him. Tennessee will look to throw off the NC State defense and establish the run. Both teams are capable of turning on the offensive fireworks and I think we are going to get a shootout. I’m picking Tennessee to prevail in this one on the road.
Prediction: Tennessee 38, NC State 31
