nicksjuzunk
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Shine your balls, 
hmy: lace up your clown shoes, and unbutton your top 3 buttons... we're going bowling!
For the first time since former head coach Derek Dooley's inaugural season, the Vols will be traveling over the holidays, and Tennessee fans can still discuss football and obsess over every little report from practice.
With most reports having the Vols in Memphis, Nashville, or Charlotte, it was a bit of a surprise to see them land in Florida. Few will complain, outside of the natives of those fine cities, as it is a good bowl in a good location.
Let's take a look at Iowa:
1. Oh so close: At first, you see that Iowa is 7-5 playing a Big 10 schedule and snicker. While their competition was pretty laughable (only Nebraska was ranked), they lost 4 of their 5 games by a total of 15 points. They played everyone tough, with the exception of Minnesota, so don't let their record comfort you too much.
2. To speed or not to speed?: For Iowa, the answer is "not to speed." The Big 10 is not necessarily known for having blazers on the field, and Iowa is no exception... maybe even worse than the average. I'm not going to pretend that I know all about Iowa's offense, but their fans have been lamenting their lack of speed, so I'm going to take their word on it.
3. Battle of the day: Without question, the best individual match-up is going to come between Derek Barnett and left tackle Brandon Scherff. Scherff is expected to be a first round draft choice in April, and Barnett does what Barnett does. This one will be fun to watch.
4. SEC Killer?: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is 3-1 against SEC opponents in bowl games. Wins against Florida, LSU and South Carolina are pretty impressive, but those wins came when Iowa was a bit more talented. However, year after year, we have watched the SEC lose bowl games inexplicably, pointed, and laughed. Let's not be on the end of that this season.
5. Closer than it seems?: Iowa and Tennessee are oddly similar in many statistics. Now granted, Tennessee built their season on the back of one of the toughest schedules in the nation, whereas Iowa played warm slaw, but the point remains. I'm not going to take the time to redo the stats, this guy has your stuff here.
6. Notes from GoVols09: Another poster has seen some of Iowa's games, so I will borrow his insight, and simply post it here:
-Their interior D Line is very good
-Offensive line is very good especially LT. I think their RT is substantially worse and I look for Maggitt to have a big day.
-Lack of speed on offense is very evident
-getting Iowa in third and long will be key. Their QB is bad when he had to throw
-Defense in the back 7 is sub par. Lack of lateral speed but linebackers are physical.
-Perfect matchup for our TEs and I expect the jet sweep will be utilized successfully
-Iowa plays every game close. I expect a 21-17 type game where we beat them worse than it shows
-Our conditioning will be an advantage, they will not keep up with our speed for 4 quarters.
Prediction: I think speed and power is the name of this game, and Tennessee, barring any injuries over the next few weeks, should be able to win both of those battles. I think Iowa will have a hard time moving the ball, and Tennessee is effective with their speed on offense. I would expect a good deal of improvement for the OL and Hurd to have a big game. Dobbs doesn't need to do a whole lot, and plays the "game manager".
TN 41
Iowa 20
hmy: lace up your clown shoes, and unbutton your top 3 buttons... we're going bowling!For the first time since former head coach Derek Dooley's inaugural season, the Vols will be traveling over the holidays, and Tennessee fans can still discuss football and obsess over every little report from practice.
With most reports having the Vols in Memphis, Nashville, or Charlotte, it was a bit of a surprise to see them land in Florida. Few will complain, outside of the natives of those fine cities, as it is a good bowl in a good location.
Let's take a look at Iowa:
1. Oh so close: At first, you see that Iowa is 7-5 playing a Big 10 schedule and snicker. While their competition was pretty laughable (only Nebraska was ranked), they lost 4 of their 5 games by a total of 15 points. They played everyone tough, with the exception of Minnesota, so don't let their record comfort you too much.
2. To speed or not to speed?: For Iowa, the answer is "not to speed." The Big 10 is not necessarily known for having blazers on the field, and Iowa is no exception... maybe even worse than the average. I'm not going to pretend that I know all about Iowa's offense, but their fans have been lamenting their lack of speed, so I'm going to take their word on it.
3. Battle of the day: Without question, the best individual match-up is going to come between Derek Barnett and left tackle Brandon Scherff. Scherff is expected to be a first round draft choice in April, and Barnett does what Barnett does. This one will be fun to watch.
4. SEC Killer?: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is 3-1 against SEC opponents in bowl games. Wins against Florida, LSU and South Carolina are pretty impressive, but those wins came when Iowa was a bit more talented. However, year after year, we have watched the SEC lose bowl games inexplicably, pointed, and laughed. Let's not be on the end of that this season.
5. Closer than it seems?: Iowa and Tennessee are oddly similar in many statistics. Now granted, Tennessee built their season on the back of one of the toughest schedules in the nation, whereas Iowa played warm slaw, but the point remains. I'm not going to take the time to redo the stats, this guy has your stuff here.
6. Notes from GoVols09: Another poster has seen some of Iowa's games, so I will borrow his insight, and simply post it here:
-Their interior D Line is very good
-Offensive line is very good especially LT. I think their RT is substantially worse and I look for Maggitt to have a big day.
-Lack of speed on offense is very evident
-getting Iowa in third and long will be key. Their QB is bad when he had to throw
-Defense in the back 7 is sub par. Lack of lateral speed but linebackers are physical.
-Perfect matchup for our TEs and I expect the jet sweep will be utilized successfully
-Iowa plays every game close. I expect a 21-17 type game where we beat them worse than it shows
-Our conditioning will be an advantage, they will not keep up with our speed for 4 quarters.
Prediction: I think speed and power is the name of this game, and Tennessee, barring any injuries over the next few weeks, should be able to win both of those battles. I think Iowa will have a hard time moving the ball, and Tennessee is effective with their speed on offense. I would expect a good deal of improvement for the OL and Hurd to have a big game. Dobbs doesn't need to do a whole lot, and plays the "game manager".
TN 41
Iowa 20
