ORLANDO, Fla. — Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is set to become the fourth true freshman quarterback in program history to start in a bowl game when the Vols take on Iowa in the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. on New Year's Day.
It took 34 bowl appearances and 56 years before Peyton Manning became the first true freshman in program history when he started in the 1994 Gator Bowl against Virginia Tech.
Manning began the season as the third-string quarterback, but injuries propelled him into the starting lineup during the season, and he led the Vols to a 6-1 record as a starter leading into the bowl game.
In the 45-23 victory, Manning went 12-for-19 passing for 189 yards and a touchdown, and his performance is still the only time a true freshman quarterback earned a victory in a bowl game as the starter.
Casey Clausen was the second true freshman quarterback to make a bowl game start in the 2001 Cotton Bowl against Kansas State in a 35-21 loss. Clausen took over the starting job halfway through the season and went into the bowl game red-hot and went 6-0 as the starter, but his freshman season ended on a low note with a 7-for-25 passing performance and three interceptions against the Wildcats.
The most recent true freshman quarterback to start in a bowl game was Tyler Bray in the 2010 Music City Bowl against North Carolina.
Bray also took over as the starter midway through the season and went 4-0 as QB1 heading into the bowl game. In the bowl game, he threw for 312 yards and four touchdowns in a game Tennessee thought it had won in regulation, but his final of three interceptions came in double-overtime and allowed the Tar Heels to come away with the 30-27 win.
That game also paved the way for the addition of a 10-second runoff on a clock-stopping penalty in the final minute of play.
Iamaleava will look to become just the second true freshman quarterback to earn a win in a bowl game, and the first since Peyton Manning did it 29 years ago. Iamaleava is the most highly-touted quarterback recruit since Manning, and he will try to begin his own legacy in the Citrus Bowl matchup against Iowa in Orlando. That game is set to begin at 1 p.m.
