COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Citrus Bowl: Tennessee 35, Iowa 0
BY PHILIP ROSSMAN-REICH
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ORLANDO, Fla. - Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava ran for three touchdowns and threw for one in his first career start, and No. 25 Tennessee shut down No. 20 Iowa’s Division I-worst offense to beat the Hawkeyes 35-0 in the Citrus Bowl.
Iamaleava, a prized recruit for Volunteers coach Josh Heupel, stepped in for senior Joe Milton, who opted out of the game to prepare for the NFL draft. The 19-year-old threw for 151 yards, and his 27 rushing yards included three scores.
Dylan Sampson rushed 20 times for 133 yards for the Vols (9-4), and Tennessee’s defense did the rest against an Iowa offense that came in averaging 16.6 points per game and 238.8 yards.
The Hawkeyes (10-4) were blanked in consecutive games to close the season after falling 26-0 to No. 1 Michigan in the Big Ten championship game. Iowa’s defense gave up more than 20 points for the third time this season — all of them in shutout losses.
The shutout was the largest in Citrus Bowl history. East Carolina beat Maine 31-0 in 1965, when the game was known as the Tangerine Bowl.
Tenessee athletics press release
January 1, 2024