Nico Iamaleava, the starting quarterback for Tennessee, did not return to play at the start of the second half during the Volunteers’ SEC matchup against Mississippi State on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.

The injury occurred when Iamaleava took a hard hit from Mississippi State safety Isaac Smith after a 7-yard run towards the end of the first half. According to ESPN’s broadcast, this was when he sustained the injury. Although Iamaleava came back for a brief moment during Tennessee’s last drive of the second quarter, he did not return after halftime.

Mississippi State applied significant pressure on Iamaleava throughout the game, even while Tennessee initially found success against the Bulldogs’ defensive strategy before the break.

Eventually, Iamaleava was ruled out for the rest of the game due to an upper body injury. Gaston Moore, the backup quarterback, took over for the second half as the Volunteers entered the third quarter with a 20-7 lead. Iamaleava had impressive stats, completing 8 of 13 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

Tennessee was ranked No. 7 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings and still has a chance to compete for the SEC championship. The Volunteers are set to face Georgia next week after the Bulldogs’ recent loss to Ole Miss on Saturday.

Head coach Josh Heupel expressed confidence that Iamaleava will “be ready next Saturday,” describing the decision to keep him out of the game as a “precaution.” Nonetheless, it will be important to keep an eye on Iamaleava’s condition as the game approaches.

No. 6 Tennessee managed to defeat Mississippi State without Iamaleava, finishing the game with a score of 33-14.