Nico Iamaleava sets first half record in season opener

Tennessee football was the better football team in the first half of Saturday's game against Chattanooga. The Vols scored 45 first-half points and shut out Chatt. 

Redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava showed off his arm strength and accuracy throughout the first half. Josh Heupel opened the playbook for the young quarterback, and he took advantage of almost every opportunity when he dropped back into the pocket. 

In Nico's first career start in the Vols' bowl game at the end of last season, he used his legs more than his arm, but it was the opposite for the season opener as Heupel let Nico air it out against the Mocs. 

The Vols scored 24 in the opening quarter, and a big part of that came as a result of Nico's passing. He finished the first quarter passing 10 for 11, 159 passing yards, and two touchdowns. 

He didn't slow down in the second quarter, either. Nico finished the first half with 314 passing yards and three touchdowns. That's good enough for the most passing yards in one half by a Tennessee quarterback in program history. Not too bad for the redshirt freshman's first start in Neyland Stadium. 

Nico's dominant performance also allowed us to get a look at what Dont'e Thornton and Chris Brazzell could do for the Vols this year at receiver. The first-year transfers found themselves making a couple of highlight plays with their handful of first-half targets. 

Nico's work was done after one half. After showing off his dominance in the first half of the season opener, the Vols will now look to a ranked matchup against North Carolina State in Charlotte, North Carolina.