College Football HQ

Nico Iamaleava injury update: Tennessee QB's status vs. Alabama

What we know after Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was injured against Alabama.
James Parks|
What you need to know after Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava left Saturday's game against Alabama with an injury.
What you need to know after Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava left Saturday's game against Alabama with an injury. | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

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Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava briefly exited Saturday's game against Alabama after taking a hard hit, but was able to return after sitting down for one offensive series.

Then, the ABC broadcast offered an update on Iamaleava's condition as he went back into the game.

"Nico Iamaleava was clutching his left side in pain in their injury tent," ABC sideline reporter Molly McGrath said during the program.

She added: "I'm told it's his left hip that was injured. You saw him warming up. He looked a little bit rattled but told teammates, 'I'm okay.'"

Iamaleava was injured when trying to escape some pressure from Alabama defenders before being tackled, and his head also hit the turf while throwing the ball away.

The quarterback stayed on the field for a time immediately following the incident.

Tennessee trainers raced out to the field to attend to Iamaleava as he was on the turf before helping him walk back to the sideline and the injury tent for further evaluation.

Reserve quarterback Gaston Moore went into the game, but threw an interception to Alabama defensive back Malachi Moore on his first pass attempt.

That was one of three turnovers in the first half for the Volunteers.

Iamaleava returned after the following series, leading a 6 play, 61 yard drive but was intercepted by Crimson Tide defender Jaylen Mbakwe in the red zone.

Alabama took a 7-0 lead over Tennessee entering the halftime break.

More ... Alabama vs. Tennessee score prediction by expert model

And ... Alabama vs. Tennessee Prediction

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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