Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava left Saturday’s game against Mississippi State with what the ESPN broadcast said was an upper-body injury. It wasn’t immediately clear on which play the injury occurred, and the broadcast said he was not expected to return to the game.
Iamaleava took a hit on a third-down throw with 51 seconds left in the half and appeared to be in some pain, but he returned to the field for Tennessee’s next drive to close out the half.
Running back Dylan Sampson also left the game late in the first half, a few plays before the hit on Iamaleava, with what appeared to be a left ankle injury. The ankle was caught under a defender while getting tackled. Sampson did walk off under his own power before halftime and returned to the field in the second half.
Iamaleava, the former five-star prospect in his first year as the Vols’ starter, completed 8 of 13 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns as Tennessee took a 20-7 lead into halftime.
Tennessee is ranked No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings and travels to Georgia next week.
(Photo: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)
