Iowa Football: Early preview of bowl matchup with Missouri

Iowa football will face the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. Here’s an early preview of the matchup.

Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes are headed to a bowl game for the eighth consecutive season.

The 15th ranked Iowa football team (6-2) will travel to Nashville, TN, for a matchup with the Missouri Tigers (5-5) in the Music City Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 3:00 pm CT on ESPN.

The game will take place at Vanderbilt Stadium. Limited tickets are available for purchase.

The Hawkeyes enter this game with seemingly little to play for aside from pride. On paper, Iowa is head and shoulders above Missouri.

If not for a historic season by No. 11 Indiana, the Hawkeyes would likely be back in the Outback Bowl for the seventh time. Had the Hawkeyes taken care of business in their first game against Purdue, we might be having a different conversation.

Instead, Iowa will face a mediocre Mizzou team that finished third in the SEC East and sixth overall in the conference. The Tigers went 1-4 against top 25 teams this season, and none of their five wins came against a team with a winning record.

Led by first-year head coach Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri has been solid if not spectacular on offense this season, averaging 26.7 points (79th in FBS) and 402 total yards (60th). Defensively, the Tigers allow 32.3 points (85th) and 408 yards per game (66th).

On the other side, Iowa ranks highly in several defensive metrics. The Hawks allow just 313.8 yards (12th) and 16 points per game (seventh). Offensively, they average 31.8 points (41st) and 368.6 yards (86th).

Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak has been middle of the road all year, throwing for 2,366 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions. Like Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras, Bazelak is a first-year starter.

A name to keep an eye on when the Hawks are on defense is Larry Rountree III. The senior running back is the Tigers’ go-to man on offense, much like Tyler Goodson has been for the Hawkeyes. Rountree has 972 rushing yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns in 10 games played. He ranks second in Missouri’s program history in career rushing yards.

In the passing game, Keke Chism leads the charge for the Tigers with 35 receptions for 458 yards and a score. For an Iowa defense that can dependably stop the run, Chism may need to compile a career-day in order for the Tigers to keep it close.

When Iowa is on offense, watch for linebacker Nick Bolton, who wears jersey No. 32. Bolton ranks fifth in the SEC in tackles (95). He was named first-team All-SEC last season and was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded linebacker in the conference.

(UPDATE: Nick Bolton has since opted out of the Music City Bowl in order to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft)

These two teams have played 13 previous times, with the Tigers holding a slight advantage in the all-time series (7-6). Iowa last faced Missouri in the Insight Bowl back in Dec. 2010. The Hawkeyes won, 27-24.

As of Sunday evening, the Hawkeyes are a 14-point favorite, according to BetOnline. The over/under is set at 52 points. Iowa will be making its first appearance in the Music City Bowl.