Nico Iamaleava Faces Backlash For Late-Game Decision In Loss to Arkansas

The No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers faced a fierce challenge on Saturday night against the Arkansas Razorbacks . After maintaining a lead for much of the second half, the Razorbacks surged ahead in the fourth quarter, putting immense pressure on freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava , who is viewed by many as a potential Heisman candidate through the first five weeks of the season.

Despite getting Tennessee into a winning position at the Arkansas 20-yard line, down 19-14 with just six seconds remaining on 4th and five, Iamaleava made a controversial decision that ultimately led to the Volunteers' loss, highlighting his youth and inexperience.

While many expected Iamaleava to take a shot at the end zone with just six seconds left, he instead scrambled out in an attempt to rush for a first down and get out of bounds. Unfortunately, the clock ran out after a short gain, resulting in Arkansas storming the field in celebration of their massive upset.

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It's important to reiterate that he is just a freshman and these are moments you learn and grow from, but he still faced some serious backlash for the questionable decision.

"Yep let’s run out of bounds as time expires. That’ll do it." A fan commented.

"That was just inexplicable." Another fan remarked .

"Deer in headlights moment." One person posted .

"He has to least throw it up for grabs. I don’t know what that was." One more fan commented .

Arkansas executed well, effectively blanketing all of Tennessee's wide receivers. However, Iamaleava needed to give his team a chance to make a play. It's a learning experience he'll face as he navigates more close games, especially on the road in hostile environments.

Fortunately for the Volunteers, their loss didn't steal the headlines in the SEC on Saturday night; that distinction belonged to the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide , who were upset by the Vanderbilt Commodores.

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