Tennessee has joined the argument about which teams “deserve” to be in the College Football Playoff after failing to perform well in its CFP debut. The Vols’ 42-17 loss stemmed from their inability to execute in every phase, level, and drive of the game. After being flagged for a facemask penalty after stopping Ohio State’s first drive, the Buckeyes were on offense, defense, and special teams. Tennessee fans packed Ohio Stadium, but the team failed to deliver in The Shoe on Saturday night.
Nico Iamaleava showed up after a slow first quarter. He took some hits and scrambled throughout the night, navigating a collapsing pocket. It wasn’t the outcome he or the supporters had hoped for, but he has certainly improved during the season and will be the person on Rocky Top for the next few years. Tennessee also had to rely on some players who had not previously provided significant production this season.
Dylan Sampson had a hamstring injury early in the game, while Squirrel White and Dont’e Thornton both sustained injuries in the first half, while other receivers entered the portal.
These injuries and transfers forced Tennessee to rely on younger players or ride their starters until they couldn’t.
That was difficult against Ohio State’s defense, and the Vols’ defense was just unable to keep up with the attack. Will Howard had one of his best games of his career, if not the best he has ever played. Howard lit up the Vols’ secondary, and the five-star receivers from OSU were unstoppable. He threw for 311 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, and Tennessee totaled 256 yards on offense.
Despite the dismal outcome, Tennessee has their guy as head coach and quarterback. It may not appear or feel that way right now, but Tennessee was nowhere near a CFP appearance before Heupel and has been in the conversation twice in the last three seasons.
While not as spectacular as some had hoped, Nico won ten games and had the finest freshman year as a quarterback in program history, totaling 2,616 yards, 22 touchdowns, and five interceptions, including two rushing scores against Ohio State. With the season-ending loss, Josh Heupel will have to spend the offseason analyzing where Tennessee went wrong throughout the game and season in order to better for the 2025 season.
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