The B1G Bowl season kicks off today, post Christmas with Illinois and Rutgers

Jacksonville, FL - - The Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) arrived on Christmas to Jacksonville for their Taxpayer Bowl date next Friday with the Tennessee Volunteers (6-6). The Big Ten Conference opens bowl play today with the first two games of ten bowls featuring conference schools.

Illinois and Rutgers both kick off the today the 2014-15 B1G bowl season for the Big Ten, the day after Christmas, with back to back games on ESPN.

At Noon, Illinois-Louisiana Tech in the Heart of Dallas Bowl kicks off from the old Cotton Bowl. The Fighting Illini closed out B1G play with wins over Penn State and Northwestern, after their home loss to the Hawkeyes to finish 6-6 on the season.

Illinois head coach Tim Beckman has the Fighting Illini in their first bowl game in three years, at the helm. Beckman's father was an assistant coach during the Bob Commings era at Iowa.

Illinois WR Mike Dudek is having the most prolific season for a freshman receiver in school history. Dudek is a first-team Freshman All-American by ESPN, USA Today, Scout, 247Sports and Phil Steele with more possibly to come.

After serving as a backup for most of his Illini career, senior QB Reilly O'Toole has put the team on his back down the stretch, leading the Illini to gutsy wins over Minnesota, Penn State and Northwestern in the final five games to lock up a bowl berth. 

Louisiana Tech finished 8-5 during the regular season, as a member of the Conference USA. The Bulldogs are lead by QB Cody Sokol, who transferred out from Iowa, after this Spring, and #3 on the Iowa quarterbacks depth chart.

Illinois has an all-time record of 8-9 in bowl games.

Illinois trails the all-time series with Louisiana Tech 1-0, with the Bulldogs earning a 52-24 victory in Champaign on Sept. 22, 2012, just the fourth game of Beckman's tenure with the Illini.

Louisiana Tech defensive end Houston Bates started all 12 games at Illinois in 2013, ranking second on the team with 12.0 TFLs and 3.5 sacks. The Covington, Louisiana, native transferred to Louisiana Tech following the season with one year of eligibility remaining.

After the Illinois-Louisiana Tech game, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-5) will face a 3:30 p.m. kick-off against the North Carolina Tar Heels (6-6) from Detroit in the Quick Lane Bowl. A ESPN preview of this match up in Detroit.

Rutgers just completed their inaugural season as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Scarlet Knights have a 3-3 all-time record with North Carolina, out of the ACC.

The Tar Heels own a three game winning streak with Rutgers, with the last win in the 2011 regular season.

Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood is seeking his first bowl win as coach. Rutgers is 5-4 overall in bowl games and 0-1 vs. ACC opponents.

Back in Jacksonville, the Iowa Hawkeyes touched down on Christmas Day, as the Florida stay during bowl prep for the Taxpayer Bowl at the Gator Bowl officially begins for the Hawkeyes.

Tennessee players are enjoying the final day of four day holiday from bowl preparations, as they will rejoin each other on Saturday, before arriving in Jacksonville on Sunday for next Friday's game in the Gator Bowl against the Hawkeyes.

A Florida story sharing each programs contrasting bowl preparation ahead of next Friday's Taxpayer Bowl.

The Iowa-Tennessee series is tied at 1-1, after Iowa beat Tennessee 28-22 in the 1982 Peach Bowl. Tennessee followed up with a 23-22 victory in the 1987 Kickoff Classic in the Meadowlands.

Thursday Night College Football

Thursday night of Week 3 has a little Iowa flair this evening, with North Texas hosting Louisiana Tech at 7 p.m. on CSBSN. LA Tech is lead at quarterback by senior Iowa transfer Cody Sokol. North Texas is coached by former Iowa alum and Hayden Fry assistant Dan McCarney. Fry coached at North Texas ahead of taking the job at Iowa for the 1979 season.

Tonight's games:

Louisiana Tech at North Texas @ 7:00 p.m. on CBSSN
Houston at BYU @ 8:00 p.m. on ESPN

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.

12 Days until a new QB takes over reigns for the Hawkeyes

The Iowa Hawkeyes prior to the 2012 season finished 10 straight seasons bowl eligible under head coach Kirk Ferentz.  But, the 2012 season finished a disappointing 4-8, including six straight loses to finish the season.

Unlike every other major college football team in 2012, the Iowa Hawkeyes only played one quarterback all season.  So, many around Iowa are interested in seeing the debut on a new quarterback, after two seasons with James Vandenberg at the helm.

Who will be Iowa's 'next man in' at Quarterback?

"I am happy with the way the team has been working," said Ferentz. "It hasn't been perfect, but we're making progress. We certainly have a lot of work to do in all areas, but the attitude has been good."

Ferentz wouldn't come out and hand the keys of the Hawkeye offense to sophomore quarterback Jake Rudock publicly, but the Florida native ran exclusively with the first teamers for the duration of the Kid's Day scrimmage on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium in front of roughly 12,000 Iowa fans.

"We'll look at the tapes and talk a little bit tomorrow and the next couple of days, and we'll make a decision this week," said Ferentz. "Jake is doing a good job. There are no complaints there. He is still a young guy, but has done a nice job.

"I don't think anyone is displeased with the other two guys (Cody Sokol and C.J. Beathard) either. We'll see what it looks like this week, and we'll keep moving forward."