Nico Iamaleava injury update: Tennessee quarterback returns for game against Alabama

Nico Iamaleava suffered an injury in the second quarter of Tennessee’s football game against Alabama on Saturday.

Iamaleava was hit by Alabama linebacker Justin Jefferson as he rolled to his left. He was throwing the ball toward running back Dylan Sampson when Jefferson sacked him. He went down hard and remained lying on the field after appearing to grab his lower back.

Gaston Moore came on for Tennessee, which was down 7-0. He threw an interception and fielded a pass into coverage that was intercepted by Alabama defensive back Malcolm Moore.

Update on Nico Iamaleava’s injury

Iamaleava returned after missing a play. He went into the injury tent before starting to throw on the sideline and then returning when UT got the ball back.

After returning, he started rolling on the driveway. He hit Bru McCoy for a 19-yard gain, then ran for nine yards before connecting with Chris Brazzell II for 11 yards. Iamaleava and McCoy combined for a 23-yard gain to get UT into the red zone, but Iamaleava threw an interception to end the drive.

Nico Iamaleava stats for Tennessee football

Iamaleava was 3 of 8 passing for 37 yards when he left. The redshirt freshman missed two downfield passes that likely would have led to Tennessee touchdowns.

UPDATES: Tennessee vs. Alabama result today: Live updates, highlights from the week 8 game

The former five-star prospect has completed 65.7% of his passes for 1,219 yards and seven touchdowns with three interceptions.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you like Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription to access everything.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nico Iamaleava injury update: Tennessee quarterback injured against Alabama