Nico Iamaleava helmet crack: Tennessee’s ugly start against Ohio State also includes the QB’s cracked helmet

Tennessee fans crowded into Ohio Stadium as best they could before Saturday’s College Football Playoff game against Ohio State but were quickly silenced.

The Volunteers got off to a disastrous start, burning through the air and struggling to keep up on the offensive side of the ball. QB Nico Iamaleava didn’t even complete a pass in the first quarter, instead throwing four incompletions and recording two sacks.

To add insult to injury, a hit by Ohio State in subfreezing temperatures actually left a massive crack in Iamaleava’s helmet.

This is the moment that sent Iamaleava to the sidelines for a change of equipment.

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Nico Iamaleava helmet crack

Iamaleava’s helmet broke on a hit by Ohio State’s Cody Simon on Tennessee’s first possession. The helmet absorbed a blow from the side of Simon’s helmet and, in freezing temperatures, a crack about six centimeters long immediately appeared.

Nico’s damn helmet cracked. That helmet is like a metaphor for how this game played out, lol #Tennessee #OSU pic.twitter.com/ECd9eHGIpX

— aggieman12 (@aggieman12tx) December 22, 2024

Tennessee’s staff scrambled on the sideline to find another helmet for Iamaleava, but ran out of time as the hit forced a Volunteers punt.

Ohio State shattered Nico Iamaleava’s helmet on its first possession pic.twitter.com/HKmFThohVy

— Connor O’Gara (@cjogara) December 22, 2024

The moment mirrored Patrick Mahomes’ helmet accident in last season’s playoff game against the Dolphins in even colder conditions. Mahomes’ helmet didn’t just break – part of it actually shattered instantly.

This hit caused part of Mahomes’ helmet to come off pic.twitter.com/ZUsS53Mhy0

— Tedd Buddwell 🏀🏈 (@TedBuddy8) January 14, 2024

It was always possible that the California-born Iamaleava would have a tough time in the cold, but Tennessee’s problems early in Saturday’s game against Ohio State went beyond the passing game.

A cracked helmet was the least of the Vols’ problems, but it was certainly emblematic of how much went wrong for Josh Heupel’s team in the first quarter.

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