Urban Meyer knows more than most about SEC football, and the former Florida coach believes one of the conference’s teams could be in trouble.
During the latest episode of “The Triple Option” podcast, which Meyers hosts with Mark Ingram II and Mark Stone, Meyer called Tennessee “a mess.” The three-time national champion pointed to how the Volunteers have looked offensively in their three games against SEC opponents.
“They are in reverse right now,” Meyer said, via On3’s Griffin McVeigh. “Twenty points per game the last three games. Twenty points per game, that’s usually in the first half. They just don’t look right, they look a mess.”
Meyer was extremely high on Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava at the start of the season. After Iamaleava threw for 314 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 69-3 win over Chattanooga to begin the year, Meyer called the freshman quarterback a “monster.”
“He was a 5-star product coming out of high school. I asked this question, is he a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft, to Brady (Quinn) and Matt (Leinart),” Meyer said in early September, via Ric Butler of RockyTopInsider.com. “Obviously, he has another year left. This guy is unbelievable, Mark. I know they had Joe Milton last year but this guy is a monster.”
Meyer seems far less excited now. Tennessee scored 51 or more points in all three of their non-conference games to start the season. They have scored 25 or fewer in the last three, all of which were against SEC opponents. Iamaleava has not eclipsed the 200-yard passing mark in four consecutive games and has just 2 touchdowns during that span, though he has thrown just one interception.
There have also been moments where Iamaleava has shown his inexperience. He made a huge mistake at the end of Tennessee’s loss to Arkansas two weeks ago.
Tennessee is ranked No. 11 in the country and still in position to reach the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, but Meyer’s concerns are warranted. The Vols are not going to be able to hang with elite SEC opponents unless they straighten out their offensive issues.
