Tennessee defeated Iowa in the 2023 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Monday evening by a score of 35-0 to capture a second straight bowl victory under head coach Josh Heupel.
Despite Iowa threatening on Tennessee’s side of the field early into the game, Tennessee safety Andre Turrentine intercepted quarterback Deacon Hill in the endzone to keep points off the board for the Vols’ defense. From that point on, it was all Tennessee, all the time.
Both the Vols and the Hawkeyes combined for a scoreless first quarter but Tennessee quickly got on the board in the second frame. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava found the endzone on a 19-yard quarterback run at the 14:56 mark which was followed by a three-yard touchdown run with 8:12 remaining in the second quarter.
Tennessee put up 21 second-half points thanks to a third Iamaleava touchdown run, a 52-yard pick-six from EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr., and an 18-yard touchdown pass from Iamaleava to tight end McCallan Castles.
Castles, by the way, caught both of Iamaleava’s freshman season passing touchdowns with the first one taking place during the Vols’ 59-3 win over UConn on homecoming.
Iamaleava put up 12-of-19 passing for 151 yards and one passing touchdown to go along with 27 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in Camping World Stadium.
While keeping Iowa off the scoreboard for the entire game, Tennessee’s defense racked up five sacks and eight tackles for loss thanks to an impressive ability to get after the quarterback throughout the game. Tennessee defensive lineman Tyre West picked up 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss while Pearce Jr. collected one tackle for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and one interception for a touchdown on the day.
All in all, Tennessee’s defense held Iowa’s offense to just 2.8 yards per play, 60 passing yards, and zero total points.
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Tennessee Football: Tennessee, Iamaleava Celebrate Citrus Bowl Victory With Stage Ceremony
Relive the excitement of the 2024 Citrus Bowl below with a Tennessee-specific highlight reel, a full Citrus Bowl highlights reel, and a reel dedicated to quarterback Nico Iamaleava in his first full start for Tennessee football:
Tennessee Citrus Bowl Highlights (3:43)
Tennessee-Iowa Citrus Bowl Highlights (13:21)
Nico Iamaleava Highlights (6:28)
