Four quick takeaways: Tennessee beats NC State in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Tennessee State football team made a statement in its first exhibition game of the season, crushing No. 24 NC State 51-10 in the Duke’s Mayo Classic.

A pick six by Will Brooks gave Tennessee some breathing room in the second quarter, and from then on, the Vols were all theirs, destroying the Wolfpack in the game on neutral ground.

Here are four quick summaries of the win.

Tennessee controls the line of scrimmage

The most obvious advantage Tennessee had entering the game was that their defensive line was, on paper, much better than NC State’s offensive line. That proved true very early in the game.

Even on the first drive of the game, when NC State moved the ball well, its running plays resulted in -3 yards, 0 yards and -3 yards. In the first quarter, the Wolfpack had -10 yards on four designed runs and they had very little success with them in the second quarter aside from two runs when Tennessee’s third line of defense was in play.

NC State’s offensive line held up reasonably well in pass defense, but Tennessee continued to put constant pressure on the quarterback.

On the other side of the ball, Tennessee ran successfully all night. NC State has a unique 3-3-5 defense and the Vols responded by using more 12-person teams (two tight end sets) than I’ve ever seen under Josh Heupel. Tennessee’s pass protection was also strong, as Nico Iamaleava was not sacked and had plenty of time to throw most of the game.

The result was Tennessee getting a 249-39 lead on the ground. When you can do that, you win most games. That was the case in the season opener.

Double Dip decides the game

Tennessee really took control of the game when Will Brooks gave them a 17-3 lead with an 85-yard pick-six midway through the second quarter.

But with the double dip at halftime, they built up a significant lead that almost decided the game. Tennessee’s defense and special teams set up the double dip. After the pick six, they forced a three-and-out and a nice punt return by Squirrel White got them the ball in NC State territory.

Due to a holding offense, Tennessee didn’t have much of a chance for a touchdown on that drive, but the Vols moved the ball enough to set up a 45-yard field goal that Max Gilbert converted.

Tennessee promptly drove 75 yards in 10 plays and 4:33 seconds to open the second half. Iamaleava threw to Ethan Davis for four yards to open the drive, then found Squirrel White for 22 yards on third down. Tennessee did most of its damage on the ground, though, with seven runs – five by Dylan Sampson and two by Iamaleava, including a fourth down conversion.

After attacking NC State downhill, Tennessee went for play action and let tight end Miles Kitselman slip out on the weak side, completely free for a 15-yard touchdown.

Josh Heupel loves to wait for the second half, and he showed again why he does that by turning a 17-3 game into a 27-3 game before NC State could even touch the football.

More from RTI: How Tennessee football pulled off a stunning victory over NC State

Nico Iamaleava Good, not great

Many saw this game as Nico Iamaleava’s coming out on the national stage. While that’s not quite the case, the redshirt freshman quarterback played well in the narrow victory.

Iamaleava made a mistake as a freshman when he threw the ball late and into traffic over the middle, and NC State made him pay with an interception. He threw another interception – a pick six in the third quarter – but his arm was pierced as he threw it and the ball went straight into the air to a defensive back. Not a great play by Iamaleava by any means, but it’s hard to blame it entirely on him.

Other than that, Iamaleava performed well. He was timely and accurate with the football, completing 16 of 23 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns.

Perhaps the best part of Iamaleava’s night was his leg play. He moved the sticks three times on third or fourth down, both on scrambles and on designed quarterback runs. One of those designed quarterback runs was a 31-yard touchdown and Iamaleava finished the night with 65 rushing yards.

Iamaleava’s best play didn’t count in the end, as he bought just enough time to throw the ball to Miles Kitselman, who would have scored a 57-yard touchdown had it not been for an illegal man-positioning penalty.

Iamaleava didn’t get his Heisman Trophy campaign off to a good start against NC State, but he played good football in the first big game of his career.

Tennessee’s secondary holds up

Tennessee’s defensive backfield was its biggest challenge early in the season, and Chattanooga did little to test it in the Vols’ opening win.

But with veteran quarterback Grayson McCall and a group of talented pass catchers, NC State had what it takes to test the Vols’ young and inexperienced secondary.

You passed the test with flying colors.

Tennessee allowed a few plays underneath, but very few further down the field, as NC State only managed 104 total passing yards on 22 attempts.

Star slot receiver Kevin Concepcion caught five passes for 53 yards, but NC State’s outside receivers did nothing. There was a lot of buzz about cornerbacks Rickey Gibson and Jermod McCoy early in the season, and both were really good against the Wolfpack. Then, of course, there was Brooks’ pick six to open the game.

Time will tell how good NC State’s passing attack will ultimately be, but the Vols absolutely shut it down.