Tag: TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Iowa details RB plan vs. Missouri

Who’s carrying the rock against Mizzou?

It will be a different look in the backfield for Iowa (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) against the Missouri Tigers (9-3, 5-3 SEC) in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.

Junior running back and Doak Walker Award finalist Kaleb Johnson declared for the 2025 NFL draft and will not be playing against Missouri.

Johnson rushed 240 times for 1,537 rushing yards and caught 22 passes for 188 receiving yards. The Hamilton, Ohio, product set Iowa single-season records in points (138), total touchdowns (23) and rushing scores (21).

With all of that production and star power out of the picture, what’s the plan for Iowa against the Tigers?

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz discussed the Hawkeyes’ plan at running back against Missouri.

“It’ll be a committee. I don’t know if it’ll be two guys, four guys, but we’ll play the guys we’ve got. We really like the guys we have. We wish Kaleb was with us, but, again, appreciate what he’s done,” Ferentz said.

Without Johnson, Iowa’s two leading rushers coming into the contest are redshirt freshman running back Kamari Moulton and sophomore Jaziun Patterson.

Moulton has carried 70 times for 377 yards with two scores, while Patterson has rushed 54 times for 235 yards with two rushing touchdowns.

“It’s been fun to watch Kamari this year I think really grow and the same thing with Jaz. Both those guys are playing their best football. Kamari a little bit more understandable. He’s a really young guy right now and still maturing physically, but Jaz I think he was where we want him to be this year. So, happy about that,” Ferentz said.

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Ferentz and Iowa are excited to see more of what they’ve got in freshmen running backs Xavier Williams and Brevin Doll, too.

Williams and Doll were each three-star signees in the Hawkeyes’ 2024 class. Doll was an in-state signee via Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School, while Williams inked with the Hawkeyes out of Lake Central High School in Indiana.

Doll, a 6-foot, 200 pound back, was ranked as the nation’s No. 33 running back and as the No. 5 player from Iowa per 247Sports. Williams, a 5-foot-10, 230 pound back, was rated as the nation’s No. 59 running back and as the No. 15 player from Indiana per 247Sports.

“We really are enthused about what we’ve seen of Xavier and Brevin Doll. Both those guys have done a really nice job in practice,” Ferentz said of his young backs.

“I think they’ve grown immensely since August. I made that comment a couple weeks ago to our guys. I said, ‘How do you think these guys would do if we put them in a game?’ And everybody gave the same answer. I think we all are seeing it the same way.”

Kickoff for Iowa against Missouri is set for 1:30 p.m. CT with the game to be televised on ESPN.

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Iowa provides encouraging injury update on pair of Hawkeyes

Iowa football’s Kirk Ferentz provides optimistic update on WR Reece Vander Zee, OL Gennings Dunker.

As the Iowa football team (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) prepares for their TransPerfect Music City Bowl matchup vs. Missouri (9-3, 5-3 SEC) from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., head coach Kirk Ferentz provided a few updates on Hawkeyes players with lingering injuries.

Ferentz discussed the recovery statuses of freshman wide receiver Reece Vander Zee and redshirt junior offensive lineman Gennings Dunker.

Vander Zee has not played since exiting Iowa’s Oct. 26 win vs. Northwestern and being spotted in a walking boot, while Dunker missed Iowa’s final two games of the regular season at Maryland and against Nebraska with an undisclosed injury.

Ferentz shared an optimistic outlook for the two Hawkeyes, indicating that they are tracking to return in Iowa’s bowl game against Missouri.

“Yeah, both those guys are on track right now,” Ferentz said. “Not sure where they’re going to be this week, but I think we are a lot closer.”

“Reece got to work—we worked a little bit on Friday—he was out there, so that looks really encouraging. Dunk’s probably a couple days away yet, but he’s doing really well, on a good path. Both those guys are eager to play.”

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Ferentz had indicated before the Nebraska game that Dunker was close to a return and likely would have played if the game had been the following week.

“He’ll be fine, yeah. He’s improving well. I don’t think he’s going to make it by Friday. It’s too bad. He’s worked so hard. He’s done a great job.

“He’ll be back for the bowl. I imagine if we were playing next week, he’d probably be ready for that one,” Ferentz said of Dunker’s status ahead of the Hawkeyes’ regular season finale against the Huskers.

It also sounds like substantial progress for Vander Zee who Ferentz said was a ways off before the Nebraska game.

“Still a ways away. Hopefully we’ll get him back for the bowl game. Starting to turn the corner a little bit there,” Ferentz said of Vander Zee before the Nebraska tilt.

With star junior running back Kaleb Johnson having declared for the 2025 NFL draft and out of the equation against Missouri, Iowa will need every ounce of the remainder of its offensive personnel. Both Dunker and Vander Zee tracking for returns is great news for the Hawkeyes.

The TransPerfect Music City Bowl is set to kick off at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN and will also be available on the radio through the Hawkeye Radio Network.

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Kirk Ferentz compliments running back Kaleb Johnson’s commitment to Iowa

In a vastly different landscape of college football, Kirk Ferentz applauded junior running back Kaleb Johnson’s commitment to Iowa in 2024.

Iowa football (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) received word of their invitation to the Dec. 30 TransPerfect Music City Bowl against Missouri (9-3, 5-3 SEC) from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. on Sunday afternoon.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz spoke this week about the program’s excitement for the upcoming bowl game, its looming transfer portal activity and how the roster may look come late December.

During his latest meeting with the media, Ferentz made a point to compliment junior running back Kaleb Johnson for his outstanding play and commitment to playing the entire 2024 regular season despite a climate in college football that sometimes encourages the opposite.

“I want to really compliment Kaleb in the way that he’s done things,” Ferentz said. “Because, I don’t mind telling you, if somewhere in the last month he had walked in and said he’s done, I would’ve been really disappointed and I would’ve felt bad for him because it would’ve been a terrible decision. But at the same time, I would’ve understood because of the world we’re living in.”

Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Johnson finished 2024 with Hawkeye single-season records in points (138), total touchdowns (23) and rushing touchdowns (21).

Johnson’s 1,537 rushing yards on 240 carries ranks third all-time in single-season rushing yards. The Hamilton, Ohio, product announced on Dec. 1 that he would be forgoing his senior year at Iowa and declare for the 2025 NFL draft.

Ferentz added that he appreciated how Johnson had grown during the season, handled his declaration for the NFL draft respectfully, and wished the junior running back good fortune at the professional level.

“I think he’s handling it really well. He’s done a good job with his teammates. And to me, if you’re not going to finish it out, which in this case he’s not, he did it in a way that really I think is really admirable, and did it really in a good way,” Ferentz added.

“I’m not going to pass judgment on him playing or not playing. I appreciate what he’s done, and I wish him nothing but the best moving forward. He’ll do a good job. He’s really grown up a lot.”

Iowa will turn to redshirt freshman Kamari Moulton and sophomore Jaziun Patterson to lead the backfield against the Tigers in the upcoming bowl game, scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPN.

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Iowa flamethrower Brody Brecht tabbed midseason All-American

Thanks to a terrific start to his sophomore campaign, Brody Brecht is garnering first-team All-American love.

If there were any questions as to why Iowa sophomore Brody Brecht decided to cease football to devote his full attention to baseball, this should provide a clear answer.

Hawkeyes pitcher Brody Brecht was named a midseason first-team All-American by Perfect Game on Tuesday afternoon. He is one of five starting pitchers selected by Perfect Game for this first-team list.

The Ankeny, Iowa, native leads the Hawkeyes with a 2.60 ERA in seven starts. Brecht ranks 11th in the nation in strikeouts with 59 and is third in strikeouts-per-nine innings (15.77). He is also 14th in the country with 5.08 hits allowed per nine innings.

Brecht has dazzled fans and scouts alike with his fantastic arm on the mound. According to the official press release that Iowa Athletics put out today, Brecht has topped 100 mph 26 times on the radar gun where TrackMan data is available. He has surpassed 95 mph 189 times. Brecht recently turned heads throughout the baseball world with his casual 104 mph fastball against Maryland. He struck out 13 batters in that outing.

LSU coach Jay Johnson praised Brecht recently, giving him credit as one of few pitchers to slow down the Tigers’ offense so far this year.

Midway through the season, there is a ton of buzz around the sophomore right-handed pitcher. Much has been made about his fastball, casually topping 100 mph, but he’s shown off a wicked slurve as well. Even his breaking pitches are the speed of an average college pitcher’s fastball.

Still only 20 years old, look for Brecht to be one of the top collegiate prospects in the MLB draft.

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Iowa 21, Kentucky 0 TransPerfect Music City Bowl What Happened, What It All Means

Iowa 21, Kentucky 0: TransPerfect Music City Bowl what happened, player of the game, and what it all means

Iowa beat Kentucky to win the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. What happened, who was the player of the game, and what does it all mean?

Iowa 21, Kentucky 0 TransPerfect Music City Bowl What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means

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TransPerfect Music City Bowl What Happened

– It wasn’t exactly pretty. Iowa scored all 21 points in the second quarter, with a two play drive with Luke Lachey making a 15-yard touchdown grab for the only offensive points of the game. Xavier Nwankpa followed it up with a 52-yard pick six on Kentucky’s ensuing drive, and Cooper DeJean took an interception back 14 yards late in the first half.

– With both sides missing their normal starting quarterbacks, it got ugly. Kentucky’s Destin Wade and Deuce Hogan combined to completed 22-of-37 passes, and Iowa’s Joe Labas hit 14-of-24 passes for 139 yards and a score.

– How weird/bad was this? Iowa was 0-of-11 on third downs and 0-of-2 on fourth downs. Kentucky only converted 2-of-18 on third downs. The two teams combined failed to generate 400 yards of offense.

100 Best Bowl Players | Ranking How Good the Bowls Were

TransPerfect Music City Bowl Player of the Game

Xavier Nwankpa, S Iowa 
His eight tackles – seven solo – were the second-most in the game, but it was his 52-yard pick six that all but ended the fun in the second quarter.

CFN Experts Picks  CFP NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

TransPerfect Music City Bowl Fun Stats

– Average yards per carry: Iowa 2.8 – Kentucky 2.1

– Time of Possession: Kentucky 34:17 – Iowa 25:43

– Both teams only came up with ten first downs each

TransPerfect Music City Bowl What It All Means

Iowa was ugly at the start, it was ugly at the finish, and it was ugly in between. The win over Kentucky didn’t necessarily make up for the home loss to Nebraska to end the regular season – and miss out on playing for the Big Ten Championship – but no matter how this looked, the win helped.

With the win, it’s now seven years in the last eight with at least eight victories, and the lone outlier was 2020 when the program went 6-2. It also get the team back on track after losing last year’s Citrus – Iowa has won four of its last five bowls after going on an ugly losing streak.

Kentucky did what it could. It was missing QB Will Levis and RB Chris Rodriguez were out, the offensive wasn’t great throughout the season, and all the O had to do was not screw up. The defense did its job, but the two pick sixes given up in the second quarter ended everything.

However, the Cats beat Louisville, beat Florida, and they had a decent season, even if they didn’t get to eight wins. They won eight games or more three times in four years – 2020 the one time they didn’t – and missed out with this. It also ruined a run of four straight bowl wins going back to 2017.

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– 2022-2023 Bowl Schedule, Predictions

Kentucky vs Iowa TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Kentucky vs Iowa game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Saturday, December 31

Kentucky vs Iowa prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. TransPerfect Music City Bowl, Saturday, December 31

Kentucky vs Iowa TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Kentucky vs Iowa How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 31
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
How To Watch: ABC
Record: Kentucky (7-5), Iowa (7-5)
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Kentucky vs Iowa TransPerfect Music City Bowl 5 Things To Know

TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– Two teams with a bunch of players wearing Iowa and Kentucky uniforms will run onto the field, and a game of football will be played. After that, good luck trying to figure out what this is going to be.

Kentucky won’t have its top guys in the backfield – QB Will Levis is getting ready to possibly be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and heart-and-soul RB Chris Rodriguez isn’t going to play, either. It goes on from there with the depth taking a hit along with a few parts on the defensive side.

Iowa is trying to figure out its offense, too, without one of its normal quarterbacks expected to be around for an offense that wasn’t exactly rocking and rolling to begin with.

There are enough regular starters for both teams to make this interesting, but it’s going to be a bit rocky, especially because …

– Iowa had the second-worst offense in college football. There wasn’t any passing game, scoring was like pulling teeth, and there’s a rumor the attack converted on a third down. Even so, the defense was fantastic – a slew of the main men are supposed to be around – and the O managed to not screw it up over a five-game winning streak in the second half of the year.

Kentucky’s offense wasn’t a whole lot better thanks to a ragged offensive line, the defense couldn’t generate a pass rush, and yet it all worked in a Kentucky sort of way to get here. That’s not a knock because …

– Kentucky has been great in bowl games under Mark Stoops. UK lost four straight bowls – with Stoops dropping his first two – and then came the run of four great performances in bowl wins over the last four years. That includes last season’s 20-17 Citrus Bowl win over …

– Iowa was a disaster in bowls from 2011 to 2016, and then it all turned with three nice wins highlighted by a 49-24 whacking of USC in the 2019 Holiday Bowl. Last year’s bowl loss to Kentucky was tough, but it was a good fight.

– When the Music City Bowl hits, it’s cranks up a home run. Purdue’s 48-45 overtime win over Tennessee last year might have been the best bowl of the season. Throwing out the canceled 2020 bowl, 13 of the last 17 Music City Bowls have been decided by eight points or fewer. Considering how these two teams play, this should be low scoring, too.

CFN Experts CFP, NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

Why Kentucky Will Win The TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Really, this Iowa offense is just that stagnant.

It was only able to hit 200 yards passing twice, the overall attack never came up with 400 yards, and it only got to 300 three times. It’s not a stretch to suggest it’ll only take a few scores for Kentucky to put this away.

As is there’s no Iowa passing game, at least there’s nothing deep. Now it’s throwing out an untested option in Joey Labas as he tries to do something to get the chains moving.

But the Iowa O is the Iowa O. It’s the defensive side that has to own this game, and it starts with needing to come up with takeaways. Kentucky had issues over the first half of the season with giveaways, but it only turned it over twice in the last four games.

And the Wildcats can play a little defense, too.  It hasn’t allowed 200 passing yards in any of the last four games, and Iowa doesn’t have the running game to make up for it.

However …

Top 100 Bowl Players | Ranking Bowl Games So Far

Why Iowa Will Win The TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Really, the Kentucky offense is just that stagnant.

Will Levis is being panned as a possible top pick in the NFL Draft, but that’s partly because he didn’t get a chance to show what he could do behind an offensive line that was the worst in the SEC in sacks allowed.

That’s where the Iowa defense comes in. If all goes according to plan, a slew of key stars from the nation’s fourth-best D and sixth-best scoring defense. As is UK couldn’t get the attack moving. It’s supposed to rock without Levis and Rodriguez? Not really.

And no, the Iowa offense isn’t going to come out and hang 50 on the board. However, there won’t be anything big coming from the Kentucky pass rush and defensive front.

UK is 7-0 when allowing fewer than 165 rushing yards, and 0-5 when allowing that many or more. However …

TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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Two Big Ten teams named in ESPN’s latest bowl game projections

The Florida Gators are projected to play two different Big Ten teams in ESPN’s latest bowl projections post-Week 12.

ESPN’s latest bowl projections have the Florida Gators playing two different Big Ten teams in two different bowl games. Mark Schlabach is projecting the Orange and Blue to play the Illinois Fighting Illini in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. Kyle Bonagura has the Gators playing the Iowa Hawkeyes in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

The TransPerfect Music City bowl is currently scheduled to be played on Saturday, Dec. 31 in Nashville, Tennessee, with kickoff scheduled for noon p.m. EST on ABC Sports.

Formerly known as the Outback Bowl, the Reliaquest Bowl is currently scheduled to be played on Monday, Jan. 2 in Tampa, Florida, with kickoff set for noon EST on ESPN2.

Illinois is coming off a 19-17 loss to Michigan, bringing their record to 7-4. After a 7-1 start, the Illini have dropped three straight games and now need some help in order to win the division and make the Big Ten Championship Game. They take on Northwestern Saturday in their final game of the regular season.

Iowa is coming off a 13-10 win over Minnesota, their fourth straight win. Now sitting at 7-4, the Hawkeyes have the inside track to the division title. If they beat Nebraska on Friday, they will play the winner of Saturday’s Ohio State vs. Michigan game in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Florida lost to Vanderbilt last week, dropping them to 6-5 with all five of their losses coming in conference play. They will head to Tallahassee to take on Florida State in a special Black Friday version of the Sunshine State Showdown. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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Tennessee vs Purdue: TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction, Game Preview

Tennessee vs Purdue: TransPerfect Music City Bowl prediction, game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might or might not win.

Tennessee vs Purdue: TransPerfect Music City Bowl prediction, game preview, how to watch 

Tennessee vs Purdue: TransPerfect Music City Bowl How To Watch

Date: Thursday, December 30
Game Time: 3:00 pm ET
Venue: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
How To Watch: ESPN, Live stream on ESPN+
Records: Purdue (8-4), Tennessee (7-5)
CFN Predictions | Bowl Schedule

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Tennessee vs Purdue TransPerfect Music City Bowl Preview

– Fans of great defense need not tune in.

Purdue star WR David Bell opted out, but the passing game that averaged 340 yards per game should still go off on a Tennessee secondary that was 103rd in the nation. The Boilermakers will run the ball once in a while just because it’s supposed to, but it’s going to be bombs away from the start.

– Tennessee likes to run the ball, but second-leading running back Tiyon Evans surprisingly left, choosing to take his talents to Louisville. The high-powered offense should keep on rolling with one of the nation’s most efficient attacks, rolling up 459 total yards per game with an up-tempo style that doesn’t slow down.

– The Vol defense that had so many problems throughout the season settled down late when the schedule got easier, but now it needs to crank up a pass rush to force the Purdue offense to rush a bit and get out of its dink-and-dunk style. Without Bell, the downfield plays will be harder to get.

– Purdue’s defense was solid throughout the year – holding its own against everyone but Purdue and Wisconsin – but it’s without opted-out pass rusher George Karlaftis, the job of keeping down the speed and flash of the Vols.

Why Tennessee, Purdue Will Win
Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History
TransPerfect Music City Bowl Top Players To Know

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Will MSU be bowling this year? Assessing where Spartans could end up

Check out the four possibilities where I could see Michigan State football land this bowl season.

In a normal season, we would know by now where (or if) Michigan State football would be bowling this holiday season. However, this year we won’t have that answer for a few more weeks so we still have time to speculate where the Spartans could be bowling this year.

MSU is 2-4 on the season with two games still left on the schedule so reaching a .500 record is still in play. Again, in a normal year that would mean MSU would need to win out to qualify for a bowl, but the normal restrictions are not in place this year. So regardless of the next two week’s results, MSU is able to go bowling this year — whether they are selected or not is what we need to determine.

Erick Smith of USA TODAY currently has the Spartans not listed in his latest bowl projections — which are released every Tuesday. But that doesn’t mean MSU is dead in the water when it comes to making a bowl game. At least, not at this point in time.

Here are the four possibilities where I could see MSU land this bowl season: