Nico Iamaleava combines for 276 yards and 3 TDs as No. 14 Tennessee routs No. 24 NC State 51-10

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Quarterback Nico Iamaleava combined for 276 yards and three touchdowns, former walk-on safety Will Brooks had a momentum-turning 85-yard interception return for a score and No. 14 Tennessee trounced No. 24 North Carolina State 51-10 on Saturday night in the Duke's Mayo Classic.

Iamaleava threw touchdown passes to Miles Kitselman and Holden Staes and ran for a 31-yard score as the Vols scored on eight of their 11 possessions with the redshirt freshman under center.

Dylan Sampson ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns as Tennessee (2-0, 0-0 SEC) outgained NC State, 460-143.

North Carolina State quarterback Grayson McCall was limited to 104 yards passing and had three turnovers. The Vols held the Wolfpack to 39 yards rushing on 28 carries.

Iamaleava didn't take long to show off his skillset, breaking the pocket and outracing two defenders to pick up 12 yards on a third-and-7 play to keep the Vols' opening drive alive.

Tennessee would break through on its second drive with a series of short completions by Iamaleava before Sampson raced nine yards up the middle for a touchdown.

After the teams traded field goals, NC State (1-1, 0-0 ACC) drove deep into Tennessee territory before McCall overthrew tight end Justin Joly in the flat and Brooks grabbed the first interception of his career and raced untouched down the left sideline for the touchdown and a 17-3 lead. It was the 10th-longest INT return for a touchdown in school history and the longest since Daniel Bituli's 97-yarder against Alabama in 2017.

Max Gilbert tacked on a 45-yard field goal at the end of the first half to give the Vols a 17-point lead at the break.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for NC State in the second half.

On Tennessee's opening possession of the third quarter, Iamaleava moved the chains with a fourth-down run and then found a wide-open Kitselman down the left sideline for a touchdown.

Dominic Bailey followed with a strip of McCall and recovered at the NC State 22-yard line leading to Gilbert's third field of the game and 30-3 lead.

And when NC State was stuffed on a desperation fourth-and-1 run in its own territory, Iamaleava put the game away with a burst up the middle on a QB draw with 4:07 left in the third quarter. Iamaleava finished with 65 yards rushing on eight carries.

Iamaleava wasn't all perfect.

His arm was hit late in the third quarter by Davin Vann, resulting in an 87-yard interception return touchdown for Aydan White. Iamaleava threw two interceptions.

Following NC State's defensive score, Sampson would run for a 34-yard touchdown and Iamaleava connected on an 18-yarder to Staes to finish his night 16 of 23 for 211 yards.

The takeaway

Tennessee: The Vols' up-tempo offense was clicking on all cylinders after the game's first drive and their defense was outstanding. This has the look of a team that has the potential to compete for a national championship.

NC State: The Wolfpack offense looked completely out of sync as it managed just 27 yards in the second half and turned it over three times. Unlike last week against FCS school Western Carolina, NC State wasn't able to mount a fourth-quarter rally.

Poll implications

With a strong showing against a Top 25 team, the Vols are likely to move up in the rankings possibly into the Top 10. The Wolfpack can say goodbye to their Top 25 ranking after a lackluster performance last week against Western Carolina and this debacle.

Up next

Tennessee: Will be a big favorite on Saturday when it hosts Kent State.

NC State: Returns home to play Louisiana Tech on Saturday.