The Tennessee Volunteers are facing off against the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday, September 7th at Bank of the America Stadium in Charlotte.
The two teams had very different week one performances. Tennessee blew out Chattanooga 69-3 and new starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava passed for 314 yards and three touchdowns. NC State did not have a cake walk in week one, they were in a dog fight with Western Carolina.
The Wolfpack won 38-21 but it was closer than the score indicated.. They struggled on offense and defense at times but one bright spot was Kevin Concepcion, he was sensational with 121 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Both teams had high expectations coming into the year and this a big game for both programs.
Both teams can be explosive on offense and have playmakers that change a game. NC State has a superstar at receiver in Kevin Concepcion; he led offense in week one. He was all over the field breaking tackles, making people miss and scoring touchdowns constantly.
NC State transfer quarterback Grayson McCall is going to have to get the ball in his hands this weekend and let him go to work. The Volunteers have one of the best offenses in the country and they are going to throw the ball down the field. Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is a stud, he has a quick release and elite accuracy.
The offensive coaching staff did a great job in week one giving him some easy throws in the quick game to get his confidence up and get the offense rolling. Nico has a ton of weapons around him including; Bru McCoy, Dont’e Thornton Jr, Dylan Sampson and more.
Tennessee is going to win this game. NC State's defense is not going to be able to keep them out of the endzone. This game will be close for one half and then Tennessee will run away with the game in the 2nd half. The difference in the football game is going to be at quarterback. When your team has a difference maker at quarterback that gives you the edge in the majority of the games you play.
Nico Iamaleava is better than Grayson McCall and Tennessee is just too explosive and talented to lose this game. I have the Volunteers winning 42-28.