Tennessee Volunteers Look Like True College Football Contenders

The Tennessee Volunteers look like true college football contenders after week one game.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel speaks with Tennessee quarterback Gaston Moore (13) with Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) behind him, during a game between Tennessee and Chattanooga, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Tennessee Volunteers look like true college football contenders after week one game.

The Tennessee Volunteers are fresh off of a dominating win over Chattanooga in week one and their win left the rest of the college football landscape impressed. There were high expectations for quarterback Nico Iamaleava and the offense this season and if week one was any indicator for what is to come for the rest of the season, then the Volunteers might just be true contenders in college football this year.

Iamaleava finished the game with 314 yards, three touchdowns and completed 22 of his 28 passes. He wasn't the only shining player in the game though, Running back Dylan Sampson finished with 124 rushing yards, three touchdowns and averaged 10.3 yards per carry. Wide receiver Dont'e Thornton was the explosive threat Tennessee wanted him to be as he had three receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns. A prototypical Josh Heupel offense was hitting on all cylinders.

Defensively it was just a fundamentally sound day for everyone involved. Joshua Josephs recovered a fumble and Tyre West had two tackles for loss on the day, but it was very much a group effort from Tennessee's defense. Sure, it may have just been Chattanooga, but the Volunteers were looking to see some improvement from the unit this year and week one showed promising results for that.

Fans will get a better look at Tennessee this next weekend as they play North Carolina State in Charlotte for a neutral site game. If the Volunteers continue to roll after week two, there will need to be conversations of the Volunteers being a legitimate contender in college football this season. Great teams have great quarterback play and it appears the Volunteers have found that in Iamaleava. Now it's just a matter of getting consistency out of Tennessee's defense and the pieces around him this year.

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