One thing that is certain about the Iowa Hawkeyes and Tennessee Volunteers squaring off in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl is the sense of growing buzz around the game. For many reasons, these two teams draw attention from national media and create storylines.
Iowa doesn’t score much and they win ugly games with defense and special teams capitalizing on mistakes. Tennessee scores points in flurries and wants to turn their games into a track meet. It is a fascinating matchup for football gurus who dive into the ins and outs of the game.
Entering this game, Tennessee has been hurt by the transfer portal and some key defensive losses. That said, they are still an SEC team with explosive players on offense. That style of play against Iowa’s rugged defense has this matchup as one of USA TODAY Sports’ top 10 bowl games.
DETAILS: Jan. 1, 1 p.m., ABC, Orlando, Fla.
Say what you will about Iowa’s offensive shortcomings, but watching the Hawkeyes is always a fascinating study of tactical football. In this case, we’ll see how their rock-solid defense holds up against an SEC-caliber offense, and whether the Volunteers’ less accomplished stoppers can win a field-position game. – Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY Sports
Iowa’s defense has held up against some of the best teams on their schedule this year. While the scores against Penn State and Michigan weren’t pleasant, the numbers and underlying details show that the offense, like most of the year, played most of the role in creating a lopsided scoreboard.
The test for the Hawkeyes will be how their defense holds up against Tennessee’s very uptempo offense. If Iowa’s offense is unable to sustain drives, it will be interesting to see how the Hawkeyes rotate players and stay fresh against a style of play uncommon in the Big Ten.
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