When the Iowa Hawkeyes kick things off against the Tennessee Volunteers, it will be a stark contrast of playing styles. The Volunteers want to speed the game up and score points. The Hawkeyes want to slow things down and play their defensive style of football.
How Tennessee adapts to that and responds or how Iowa does against a hyperspeed offense will be hugely important in how this one shakes out. One factor that will control that is Joe Milton, Tennessee’s quarterback.
His play and whether he can go out with a win against Iowa’s stout defense is ESPN’s big question surrounding the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
I was completely convinced that we would end up with one of two extremes with Tennessee’s Joe Milton III. Either he would finally enjoy the breakout season many expected, surging into both the Heisman race and the discussion for the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, or he would falter once more and cede the starting job to star freshman Nico Iamaleava. Instead, he did neither. He was … fine. And now he finishes his lengthy career against one of the best and most frustrating defenses in the country. – Bill Connelly, ESPN
Iowa’s defense is among the best in many, many categories. The Hawkeyes are third in the nation with just 15 touchdowns allowed and second in yards per play, with just 3.91 yards allowed.
Looking at the passing defense, Iowa is tops in America with just 8.85 yards per completion allowed. The Hawkeyes are fourth in points allowed with just 13.23 points per game given up.
This year, Milton has 20 touchdowns to five interceptions and just 11 interceptions throughout his career. Iowa will look to fluster Milton with their fundamental defense that feasts on opponents making mistakes. How he handles this will be a key factor in the outcome of this game.
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