Josh Heupel shares satisfaction with Tennessee playing clean in bowl game
Josh Heupel was elated Tennessee was able to cap off their season with a 35-0 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
As true freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava made his first career start, the Volunteers are excited as they look towards 2024 with immense hope. Sitting at the podium after the victory, Heupel took some time to share his satisfaction with the media.
“We didn’t start off the way that we needed to,” Heupel said. “I thought he (Nice Iamaleva) came out and started really fast. Decision making, controlling everything. Was really excited about how he performed early in the football game offensively. Special teams, there’s a couple things that we didn’t do the way that we need to. We’ve got to be able to start faster in that one.
“I do like the way that we responded, and played clean football really the rest of the way. Proud of the guys for that.”
Even as Heupel admitted that Tennessee started the game slow, it’s tough to find anything wrong with a 35-0 victory over a formidable opponent at the end of the day. The Volunteers went out on a high note, and now there’s plenty of hype for next season.
With Heupel’s coaching ability and Iamaleva’s potential, Tennessee is in fantastic shape for 2024, and could make some louder noise in the SEC.
“We’ve got to continue to grow as a program,” Heupel added after the bowl win. “We have an opportunity to be really special as we continue this journey here at Tennessee. The standard here is to win championships. Paying attention to the details as we go into our offseason will be extremely important — But the 2024 season looks bright.”
During his postgame speech while accepting Citrus Bowl MVP honors, Iamaleava reiterated a similar narrative. He also believes this is just the beginning of a fruitful partnership between him and the Tennessee program.
Iamaleava ended the game three rushing touchdowns on 15 attempts while remaining consistent through the air with a 63% completion percentage on 12-of-19 passing to go with one touchdown pass and no interceptions. He finished is true freshman season with 31 completions for 314 yards and two touchdowns.
He takes over for 2023 starter Joe Milton, who opted out of the Citrus Bowl after declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. According to Heupel, Milton has been one of his young quarterback’s biggest supporters since arriving on campus last offseason.
Alas, the Citrus Bowl was the start of a new era for Tennessee and Josh Heupel. We’ll see how far the Volunteers can fly in 2024.