TaxSlayer Bowl Preview: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Tennessee Volunteers

Jacksonville, FL - - The Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) and the Tennessee Volunteers (6-6) have meet twice before  in football back in 1982 and 1987. The first meeting was in the 1982 Peach Bowl and the later game in the 1987 Kickoff Classic, back when current Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz was an offensive line coach for J. Hayden Fry.

The Hawkeyes and Volunteers will meet in the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl, the 70th edition of the event, formerly known as the  Gator Bowl. The Game will air on ESPN on Friday, January 2nd at 2:20 p.m. frok Ever-Bank Field (77,511) in Jacksonville, Florida.

Ferentz is the Dean of Big Ten Conference head coaches, in his 16th season as head coach and 25th season overall at Iowa.

For Tennessee, Johnny Majors was head coach at the time back when these two programs meet previously. Today, Butch Jones is head coach for Tennessee, leading the Volunteers to their first bowl, since the 2010 season, in his second season at the helm at this SEC school, since moving over from Cincinnati.

The Volunteers carry a 25-24 program record in bowl games, while Iowa is 6-5 under Ferentz and 14-12-1 overall as a program in bowl games. The series is tied at 1-1, with Iowa owning the 28-22 Peach Bowl win in 1982. The Volunteers won 23-22 in the Kickoff Classic Game in 1987, played in the Meadowlands.

The Iowa vs. Tennessee game should be  a classic Big Ten vs. SEC match up. During the 2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament earlier this year, Tennessee ended Iowa's basketball season. Each team now will finish their 2014 football season head to head in Jacksonville.

Coach Jones thoughts on Iowa ahead of the TaxSlayer Bowl:

"It is a great challenge and they are a very physical football (Iowa) team and we are going to be challenged on each and every snap and they know that. So there is a lot of physicality, a lot of mental toughness, the physical toughness, everything that goes into playing a line of scrimmage game like this game will be and it will be a line of scrimmage game. Obviously they have our respect and they have our attention, all you need to do is watch them on video. Very, very imposing offensive line and defensive line as well."

University of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz announced Tuesday that junior Jake Rudock will start at quarterback for an eighth consecutive time and the 25th time in his career Friday when the University of Iowa faces Tennessee.

Ferentz named Rudock the starter and echoed what offensive coordinator Greg Davis said Monday that Rudock and sophomore C.J. Beathard would see action in the first half against the Volunteers.

"Jake will start and they will both play," Ferentz said before the Hawkeyes practiced at Fernandina Beach High School. "I don't think it's a huge deal and it won't be a huge deal for our opponent, either, when they look at us. I'll go back to what I said in August: we have two really good quarterbacks; I wish we had this depth at every position. They both have practiced well and competed well and that's all we could ask. Our whole team has made a good effort this month; they have prepared well."

"We will be prepared for both," Tennessee coach Jones said. "Again, they are going to run what they run and there is a reason why they have been successful. They have systems in place. They are an older veteran football team so their players they are able to redshirt their players and their players grow up in their systems. When you watch them on film you see a football team that is very, very fundamentally sound in all aspects of football. The way they use their hands, their overall pad level in the line of scrimmage. They have done a great job of developing that, that is a product of their systems and their systems being in place for many, many years."

Both teams have 16 seniors on their bowl roster, but Tennessee has used 23 true freshmen compared to three by Iowa.

"They have young guys playing, but most of those guys are four and five-star recruits," Ferentz said. "There is a reason we redshirt our guys. We're two different operations that way, but I don't think anybody has an advantage. You could say they are going to be more enthused, although we're enthused to be playing this game; we're excited about the opportunity."

The senior members of the Iowa football program will play their final game as a Hawkeye at the TaxSlayer Bowl. They include LB Quinton Alston, RB Damon Bullock, DT Carl Davis, OL Andrew Donnal, OL Tommy Gaul, LB Chad Gilson, TE Ray Hamilton, DL Mike Hardy, DB John Lowdermilk, WR Kevonte Martin-Manley, WR Damond Powell, DL Wil Rathjen, OL Brandon Scherff, DL Louis Trinca-Pasat, RB Mark Weisman, and WR Drew Zaun. Alston, Scherff, Trica-Pasat and Weisman will also serve as game captains for the Hawkeyes.

Ferentz compares Tennessee's offense to that of Big Ten Conference opponents Maryland and Minnesota.

"They would be foolish not to attack us in a similar manner," Ferentz said. "I'm sure we'll get tested in the same way, the question is, can we respond to that? Can we do a better job of taking away some of the things that hurt us in those two games?"

Iowa lost to Maryland, 38-31, on Oct. 18, and to Minnesota, 51-14, on Nov. 8. Both games were on the road. Maryland quarterback C.J. Brown threw for 120 yards and ran for 99; Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner threw for 138 yards and ran for 77.

Defensively, Ferentz said the Volunteers remind him of Nebraska.

"They are talented and have good looking guys on defense," Ferentz said. "They run around and they are pretty experienced in the secondary. They are athletic."

Speaking of Nebraska, it is a game and outcome that has served as extra motivation during the bowl preparation period. The Hawkeyes led 24-7 midway through the third quarter, but lost, 37-34, in overtime, on Nov. 28.

"It's not like we had a banner game that day. The shame is, we didn't play as well as we could have," Ferentz said. "We were disappointed with that last football game for sure. We were sloppy in a lot of areas, coaching included. The team has responded. They have practiced and competed well and hopefully we'll be a better football team Friday than we were the last time we were out."

This is the eighth bowl trip to the state of Florida for the Hawkeyes with Ferentz as head coach. Iowa is making its second appearance in the TaxSlayer Bowl. Iowa lost to Florida, 14-6, in the 1983 Gator Bowl. Tennessee is making its sixth TaxSlayer Bowl appearance. The Volunteers beat Virginia Tech, 45-23, in 1994, when the game was known as the Gator Bowl, in their most recent appearance.

"I can't say enough about the job the TaxSlayer people have done," Ferentz said. "The hospitality has been first class and the place we're staying (Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort) is unbelievable. Everything has been great. The practice site is great, the guys are having a good time, and they are working hard, so everybody is getting eager for the game now."

Iowa is 11-12-0 all-time against the SEC, including a 4-3 mark in bowl games. Following are Iowa’s bowl results against SEC opponents:

YEAR SITE OPPONENT RESULT
2014 Outback Bowl LSU L, 14-21
2009 Outback Bowl South Carolina W, 31-10
2006 Outback Bowl Florida L, 24-31
2005 Capital One Bowl LSU W, 30-25
2004 Outback Bowl Florida W, 37-17
1983 Gator Bowl Florida L, 6-14
1982 Peach Bowl Tennessee W, 28-22

"They have great, great leadership. Again, they are a very well-coached football team, they are very, very experienced and they played a very tough and demanding schedule as well. Again, everyone is good when you go to the bowl season. We are going to get their `A' game and it is going to be a challenge for us to try to bring out A game as well," Tennessee coach Jones said when discussing Iowa, as an opponent.

Iowa best success in 2014 came against a couple of young teams they played earlier in the year in wins at Pittsburgh and at Purdue. Will Tennessee prove similar for Iowa?

Iowa names sophomore Jake Rudock opening game starter

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Jake Rudock didn't take a snap as a back up quarterback to James Vandenberg in 2012.  Now, ever move will be scrutinized by the Hawkeye nation, as the man entering as QB in 2013.

Thus is the life of a quarterback moving from backup to starter.

"I said last year I thought it was so strange how the backup is always the most famous guy," Rudock said Friday in an exclusive interview with hawkeyesports.com. "It doesn't make sense, but hey, everyone wants to see someone else step up, that's how it is."

Rudock, on Friday, was named the starting signal-caller for the University of Iowa, emerging in a highly-contest and closely-watched three-person race that also included junior Cody Sokol and redshirt freshman C.J. Beathard.

"It made you have to work harder to keep going and understanding you have guys on your heals," said Rudock, a sophomore. "You can't take anything lightly and each play matters."

Vandenberg took every snap for the Hawkeyes during the 2012 season, completing 57 percent of his passes for 2,249 yards and seven touchdowns.

Rudock's high school resume is long and impressive. A native of Weston, Fla., Rudock led St. Thomas Aquinas to a 15-0 record and district, regional, and national championships in 2010. He holds school single-game records for passing yards (333) and touchdowns (five) and single-season records for passing yards (2,827) and touchdowns (36).

Rudock was second on the depth chart last season, studying behind Vandenberg. Now it's is his turn to lead the Hawkeyes.

"I was very happy (when I heard the news)," Rudock said. "That's what you want to hear. You want to be the guy and you want to be able to go out there and play football. You're excited as you can be, but at the same time there is a long road ahead and you have to keep working, take it game-by-game, and keep going."

Rudock may be a new starter, but he will have some experience to draw on in the offensive unit in 2013.  The defense and special team have even more experience for Iowa heading into 2013.

STARTERS RETURNING
Iowa's projected returning starters on offense include: left tackle Brandon Scherff, right tackle Brett Van Sloten, center Austin Blythe (moved from guard), tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz, running back Mark Weisman and wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley. The returning defensive starters include: linemen Dominic Alvis and Louis Trinca-Pisat, linebackers Christian Kirksey, Anthony Hitchens and James Morris, and defensive backs B.J. Lowery and Tanner Miller. PK Mike Meyer, punter Connor Kornbrath, kickoff returner Jordan Cotton and long snapper Casey Kreiter also return.

Among the returning starters, 10 started every game in 2012. Kirksey has started 25 consecutive games over the last two seasons, while Tanner Miller has started 23 straight and Fiedorowicz has started 17 straight.

Iowa's preseason depth chart includes 14 seniors, 12 of which are projected as starters (includes placekicker and long snapper). Iowa`s 14 seniors listed on the preseason depth chart have started a combined 204 games. Iowa's 13 juniors have started 35 total contests, while its 21 sophomores have started 27.

Iowa opens the season at home Aug. 31 against Northern Illinois with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on the Big Ten Network. It is the annual "Be Bold, Wear Gold" game.

Could Iowa surprise in the Big Ten Legends Division in 2013?

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The Big Ten Network was inside the Kenyon Football Practice Facility on Tuesday and what the studio personalities saw was an improved Hawkeye team. Improved not only from the end of the 2012 season, but from the end of spring camp as well.

"It's a better group than it was last year and the team continues to get better," said Howard Griffith, BTN analyst. "They will be alright. The coaching staff does a great job teaching and getting kids prepared. Now it comes down to executing."

Griffith and his BTN cohorts Tom Dienhart and Dave Revsine were watching with interest the drills involving UI quarterbacks and wide receivers.

"You get a better sense for guys you have read about," Revsine said of the visit. "(UI wide receiver) Damond Powell and his 30 yards per catch in junior college for example; I want to get a look at this guy. More than anything, it gives us a chance to know the team."

Dienhart, who writes for BTN.com, says the Hawkeyes have more than one quality option behind center.

"I know it sounds like (Jake) Rudock is the guy, but C.J. Beathard may throw the ball as well as any quarterback they have," Dienhart said. "I think (Beathard) can be a little careless and doesn't know the system as well as Rudock, but skill-wise, he may be the best. Those two guys have stood out in my mind -- Rudock with his command of the offense and Beathard with his skills -- and of course with that (long) hair."

"As Iowa fans know, a lot of times, (head coach) Kirk Ferentz and company do their best work when the spotlight is not right on them. Does any Big Ten team have a bigger opening game than Iowa at home against Northern Illinois? You want to talk about a game that could set the tempo for the season; if they beat a very good Huskies team in Kinnick Stadium, maybe that gives them the momentum they need to move forward to having a successful year." Tom Dienhart, Writer, BTN.com said.

In what has become an annual tradition in August, the BTN loads up its RV (complete with a custom wrap featuring an image of one player from each Big Ten Conference team), reviews a practice in every Big Ten city and then airs its footage and interviews at a later date. The Hawkeyes will be featured Sunday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. (CT).

Iowa is coming off a 4-8 season, but Revsine is quick to remind that if a few of the close games tilt in favor of the Hawkeyes, 2012 is another winning season with another bowl trip.

"It's not like they are in dire straits right now," Revsine said. "It was a down year and nobody here is happy with it. Players talk about being embarrassed, but it is not a disastrous situation. The Titanic is not sinking. It may have taken on a little water last year, now you try to figure how to get it turned around."

The Hawkeyes open the season at home Aug. 31 against Northern Illinois, a 12-win team in 2012, which returns Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Jordan Lynch. The only regular-season loss for the Huskies last season was to Iowa, 18-17, in Chicago's Soldier Field.

"As Iowa fans know, a lot of times, (head coach) Kirk Ferentz and company do their best work when the spotlight is not right on them," Dienhart said. "Does any Big Ten team have a bigger opening game than Iowa at home against Northern Illinois? You want to talk about a game that could set the tempo for the season; if they beat a very good Huskies team in Kinnick Stadium, maybe that gives them the momentum they need to move forward to having a successful year."

All three BTN personalities agree that the Hawkeyes passed the "eyeball test" and across the board the team looks good physically. They noticed a "wiggle and shiftiness" from newcomer Powell, they liked seeing running backs Jordan Canzeri and Damon Bullock in the slot and getting into space, and they loved the linebacker trio, as well as the thought of putting one of their hands on the ground in pass-rushing situations.

Griffith likes the look of a healthy Carl Davis at defensive tackle. Revsine said that even though the Legends Division is the tougher of the two, he senses a better win-loss record for the Hawkeyes. But Dienhart summed it up best.

"Offensively, passing the football and getting production from receivers, and defensively getting a pass rush; if they can answer those three questions, Iowa could be a surprise team."