The Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) have their starting quarterback for the TransPerfect Music City Bowl against the Missouri Tigers (9-3, 5-3 SEC).
Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz revealed that redshirt junior quarterback Brendan Sullivan will start for the Hawkeyes against the Tigers.
“As we go into the game, Brendan Sullivan is healthy. We expect him to be our starter. Jackson will be the backup to him. That will be our 1-2 depth chart there,” Ferentz said.
Sullivan has played in nine games for Iowa this season and started two against Wisconsin and UCLA. On the season, Sullivan is completing 68.6% of his passes, has thrown for 344 yards and a pair of scores and run for an additional 144 yards and four touchdowns.
The 6-foot-4, 220 pound quarterback entered against Northwestern on Oct. 26 when graduate quarterback Cade McNamara exited with a concussion. Sullivan proceeded to complete 9-of-14 passes for 80 yards and rushed eight times for 40 yards and a score against the Wildcats as the Hawkeyes won, 40-14.
Then, in a 42-10 romp over Wisconsin on Nov. 2, Sullivan was 7-of-10 passing for 93 yards and had a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Gill. Sullivan also carried nine times for 58 yards and had a rushing score.
Sullivan left Iowa’s 20-17 loss at UCLA on Nov. 8 with an ankle injury after completing 6-of-9 passes for 157 yards with a pair of interceptions and rushing nine times for 10 yards.
The Davison, Mich., product has not played since, but he was suited up for the Hawkeyes’ regular season finale against Nebraska on Nov. 29.
Ferentz said Sullivan is now fully healthy and looks good.
“Really good. I’m going back to the end of the season. Friday and Monday, we were off that weekend. That Friday and Monday we worked. Just shorts, not contact. I don’t think he did anything or didn’t do much. Since that time, he’s been great. He feels fully confident. The injury is in the history now, it’s passed.
“Just getting caught up because he missed a couple weeks there. This has been a good period where he’s getting some work. Tim even had like a little quarterback school going a couple days where we weren’t working, just working those guys mentally, going out on the field walking through some things, letting them throw the ball, stationary, things like that, things you can’t do in the spring because of all the stupid rules we have,” Ferentz said.
It’s terrific news for Iowa to have Sullivan back ready to roll against the Missouri Tigers.
In his stead, walk-on, redshirt sophomore quarterback Jackson Stratton started the season’s final two games at Maryland and versus Nebraska.
Stratton completed 10-of-14 passes for 76 yards in Iowa’s 29-13 win at Maryland before he completed 8-of-15 passes for 115 yards in the Hawkeyes’ 13-10 victory over the Huskers.
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