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Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is in concussion protocol after leaving the Mississippi State game last week, a sources with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to Knox News.
But Iamaleava participated in team activities and meetings on Monday, which coach Josh Heupel acknowledged at his weekly press conference. And Iamaleava practiced with the team on Tuesday.
Iamaleava’s status for the Georgia game has not been determined, the sources told Knox News.
Tennessee (8-1, 5-1) plays Georgia (7-2, 5-2) on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The game will impact the College Football Playoff chances for both teams.
On Monday, Heupel was optimistic that Iamaleava would be available to play against Georgia.
“(We) feel like he’ll be in great shape for Saturday,” Heupel said. “But you guys can monitor (the SEC availability report) on Wednesday and track it throughout the week. (We) certainly feel like he’ll be in a good spot.”
Iamaleava did not return from the halftime locker room in UT’s 33-14 win over Mississippi State because of what a team spokesperson called an “upper-body injury.”
Iamaleava has played his best football since the second half in a win over Alabama on Oct. 19. He has completed 65% of his passes for 1,879 yards, 11 TDs and four interceptions in his redshirt freshman season.
If Iamaleava is out or limited against Georgia, backup quarterback Gaston Moore, a fifth-year senior, would get the start. Freshman Jake Merklinger is the No. 3 quarterback.
The SEC availability report will be released at 8:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and then updated on Thursday, Friday and 90 minutes before kickoff on Saturday.
Teams designate players on the report as probable, questionable, doubtful or out. On game day, they can also be designated as a game-time decision.
Adam Sparks is the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/quarterback-nico-iamaleava-concussion-protocol-013304211.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-11-13 01:33:04
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