Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is expected to play in Saturday’s game against Georgia after leaving last week’s win with an upper-body injury, according to head coach Josh Heupel.
“We anticipate having him back for next week,” Heupel stated, explaining that the decision to keep Iamaleava out was a “precautionary measure” at halftime. “We feel good about being ready to roll on Saturday.”
This update should bring relief to Vols fans, who watched their quarterback sustain what looked like a serious injury that forced him to sit out the second half of the Mississippi State game.
Iamaleava took a hard hit late in the first half against Mississippi State, which led to his absence after halftime. While Tennessee did not disclose the specifics of the injury, Iamaleava landed hard on his right side following a tackle by Bulldogs defender Isaac Smith.
Before the injury, Iamaleava had completed 8 of 13 passes for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 34-yard touchdown to Squirrel White and a 73-yard touchdown to Dont’e Thornton.
Tennessee is hoping for a full-strength squad this weekend as they head into a crucial SEC showdown with Georgia.
Georgia, now with two SEC losses after falling 28-10 to Ole Miss, is fighting to stay in the College Football Playoff race. The Bulldogs dropped nine spots to No. 11 in the AP Top 25 this week after entering last weekend ranked No. 2.
With a 5-1 SEC record, Tennessee has a golden opportunity to boost its chances for both an SEC Championship Game appearance and playoff contention with a win over Georgia.
