Earlier this season, I argued that Nico Iamaleava was overhyped because he has a cool name. If his name were Schwartz or Podolski, he would be viewed as a decent "game manager" QB like Wisconsin used to have. Iamaleava finished 20th in the nation in passing efficiency, which is not bad, but 13 of his 19 TD passes this season came against UT Chattanooga, Miss State, UTEP, and Vanderbilt.
And, of course, I didn't watch Tennessee play the likes of UTEP, so my impressions of him being a glorified "Schwartz" came from watching him play in bigger-profile games (or in "upset alert" situations). Were my impressions fair, though? How did Iamaleava do against better defenses?
Let's compare Iamaleava's stats to how Will Howard fared against better defenses.
IAMALEAVA:
| Opponent | QBR | TD Passes | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma (W) | 60.2 | 1 | 0 |
| Arkansas (L) | 35.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida (W, OT) | 23.3 | 0 | 1 |
| Alabama (W) | 87.3 | 1 | 1 |
| Kentucky (W) | 80.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Georgia (L) | 71.9 | 1 | 0 |
| AVERAGE/TOTAL | 59.65 | 4 | 2 |
Key points:
- Iamaleava played well, albeit in "game manager" mode, against Alabama and Kentucky.
- 4 total TD passes is weak, but at least he threw only 2 INTs.
- Iamaleava was awful against the first three good defenses (Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida), but appeared to improve in the final three games (Alabama, UK, Georgia).
HOWARD:
| Opponent | QBR | TD Passes | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 98.3 | 2 | 1 |
| Iowa | 83.3 | 4 | 1 |
| Oregon | 95.1 | 2 | 0 |
| nebraska | 69.4 | 3 | 1 |
| Penn State | 68.1 | 2 | 1 |
| Indiana | 87.7 | 2 | 1 |
| TCUN | 57.0 | 1 | 2 |
| AVERAGE/TOTAL | 79.8 | 15 | 7 |
Key points:
- Howard has been far more productive and dynamic than Iamaleava against good defenses: 15 to 4 in TD passes and 79.8 average QBR to 59.65.
- Howard, however, has thrown at least one INT against every team on the list (he also could have had a bad luck INT against Oregon if the refs had replayed the 32-yard completion to Kacmarek). Hopefully, Howard will break this pattern against Tennessee.
