By admin 
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WCYB) — Next man up mentality is a phrase you hear a lot in college football, and while Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel gave a cautiously optimistic update on Nico Iamaleava on Monday, the team is ready regardless of whether Nico takes a gamble.
Heupel said: “Yes, he was with us today. I had a very good day. I have a feeling he will be in top form on Saturday.”
This comes after Iamaleava left the Mississippi State game at halftime with an upper-body injury and was replaced by Gaston Moore, who stepped up in Nico’s absence.
Tennessee tight end Miles Kitselman says this about Moore: “He’s talked about how he feels really confident in his game and how he’s ready to go out there at any time. guys on the field making sure he knows we to get him, whether that’s protection or details on the route. But yes, Gaston is a super confident guy and everyone has confidence in him.
Safety Will Brooks added: “You know you want our starting quarterback to be there, but we all rely on Gaston.”
However, Heupel was not surprised by Moore’s performance. He said he gets reps in that one spot every week. “Gaston gets reps in practice, every day, every week. And that’s why he went out and played the way he did.”
The team is ready to come together to support everyone at quarterback on Saturday.
Heupel was coy and said everyone will know more about Nico’s status on Wednesday when the injury report comes out.