'24 Recruiting Forum: Official Citrus Bowl Pregame/Game Thread

#51
#51
nicksjuzunk said:
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New Year, new beginnings, and so it is with Tennessee football as well. With Joe Milton handing the reigns to Nico, a new era begins for the Tennessee on the first day of 2024 and this adds an air of intrigue to a game which was rather "meh" on the surface. Iowa features a top shelf defense and offense that is best described as "offensive." Let's take a brief look at some key matchups.

Keys to Victory:

1. TN Offense vs. Iowa Defense: This is 80% of the game. whoever wins this match-up overall will likely win the game.

2. The Replacements: Tennessee has lost much more than Iowa in the area of bowl opt-outs. It is on the Vols youth to prove themselves capable, and that goes beyond Nico. Exciting to see, but expect to see some growing pains.

3. Special Teams: This should play a key role. Iowa has one of the best punters in the nation and Dee Williams is one of the best returners. There will likely be a large number of punts so field position will be key.

Prediction:

TN 24
IA 17
Click to expand...

A win over Iowa should help the Volunteers potentially get a few recruits in all major sports from Iowa.
 
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#58
#58
More news and notes:
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tennessee's Cheez-It Citrus Bowl clash with Iowa should offer at least a glimpse of the Vols' 2024 prospects.
Transfer portal exits and NFL Draft opt outs will give No. 21 Tennessee (8-4) a bit of a different look on both sides of the ball when it kicks off at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on New Year's Day.
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Offensively, highly touted freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava will get his first start while a number of members of the Vols' secondary will get the fist significant playing time of their young careers.
Standing between Tennessee and a nine win season is a Hawkeyes (10-3) team that finished as the Big Ten runner-up and features one of the best defenses in college football.
Here is a closer look at the match up.

Game Information​


Who: No. 17 Iowa (10-3) vs. No. 21 Tennessee (8-4)
When: Monday, Jan. 1 | 1 p.m. ET
Where: Camping World Stadium | Orlando, Florida
TV: ABC (Dave Flemming, play-by-play; Brock Osweiler analyst; Kayla Burton, reporter)
Line: Tennessee -5.5
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Tennessee 70.6%
Series: Tennessee leads, 2-1

Pregame Notes​

-- Tennessee returns to the Citrus Bowl for the first time in more than 20 years. The Vols are set for their 55th bowl appearance and their sixth in the Citrus Bowl where they are 4-1 all-time.
-- Tennessee thumped Vanderbilt, 48-24 behind 617 yards of total offense and quarterback Joe Miton III six touchdowns. The Vols finished 4-4 in SEC play, marking the first time since 1989-2004 that the program was gone. 500 or better in three seasons in the league.
-- Tennessee has appeared in three-straight bowl games under head coach Josh Heupel. The Vols lost to Music City Bowl to Purdue in 2021 and beat Clemson in the Orange Bowl last December.
WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Josh Heupel, Kirk Ferentz talk ahead of Citrus Bowl
-- Milton has played his last snap at Tennessee. The senior quarterback opted out last week in preparation for the NFL Draft, finishing the season 229-of-354 passing for 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions.
-- Iowa dropped its last game to Michigan, 26-0 in the Big Ten Championship Game. The Hawkeyes mustered just 156 yards of total offensive, including 36 passing yards.
-- Iowa is playing in its third Citrus Bowl and its 13th January bowl game under head coach Kirk Ferentz. He is currently tied with former Penn State coach Joe Paterno in bowl victories among Big Ten teams with 10.

Key Players​

TENNESSEE:
Nico Iamaleava, QB
Stats: 16-of-26 passing, 163 yards, 1 TD, 73.5 QBR
Dylan Sampson, RB
Stats: 86 carries, 471 yards, 7 TDs, 5.5 AVG
Squirrel White, WR
Stats: 64 receptions, 764 yards, 2 TDs, 11.9 AVG
James Pearce Jr., DL
Stats: 29 tackles, 13 TFL, 8.5 sacks
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Everything Josh Heupel, Kirk Ferentz said ahead of the Citrus Bowl
IOWA:
Deacon Hill, QB
Stats: 115-of-233 passing, 1,096 yards, 5 TDs, 6 INTs, 22.9 QBR
Leshon Williams, RB
Stats: 164 carries, 804 yards, 1 TD, 4.3 AVG
Jay Higgins, LB
Stats: 155 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack
Tory Taylor, P
Stats: 86 punts, 47.9 AVG

By the Numbers​

36: The number of sacks that the Tennessee defense has accounted for this season. It ranks third in the SEC and is tied for 11th nationally. The Vols have recorded at least one sack in 16-straight games.
93: The number of tackles for loss from Tennessee this season. The Vols are second in the conference have produced 4.0 TFLs in 24 consecutive games dating back to the 2022 season.
22: The number of games that the Tennessee offense has produced 200 or more rushing yards under Heupel. The Vols have totaled that number in seven of 12 games this season. They are 20-2 in those games.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Vols DC Tim Banks leads Tennessee into clash against weak Iowa offense
13.2: The average number of points that the Iowa defense has allowed per game this season. The Hawkeyes have given up just five touchdowns over the last 28 quarters and seven touchdowns in the last 36 quarters.
71: The number of games that Iowa has won when leading by eight or more points in a game dating back to the 2015 season. The Hawkeyes have lost just twice when leading by eight or more in that span.
47.9: The average number of yards per punt from Tory Taylor. The Iowa punter, who won the Ray Guy Award last month, leads the nation in total punts with 86 this season.

Storylines​

Iamaleava's first start: With Milton's opt out, Iamaleava moves into the starting role for this first time in his career. A five-star signee in Tennessee's 2023 class, Iamaleava has appeared in four games this season. He will be the fourth freshman to start for the Vols in a bowl game all-time, joining Peyton Manning (1994 Gator Bowl), Casey Clausen (2001 Cotton Bowl) and Tyler Bray (2010 Music City Bowl).
Opportunity for young secondary: Tennessee lost multiple starters in its secondary to the transfer portal, including Doneiko Slaughter and Tamarion McDonald, leaving a void to fill. A number of freshmen will see their first significant action against an Iowa offense that averages just 123.3 yards per game. The only two returning starters are corner Gabe Jeudy-Lally and safety Jaylen McCollough.
Sampson spearheads backfield: Tennessee's offense has leaned heavily on its run game this season. The Vols are averaging more than 200 yards per game but leading rusher Jaylen Wright is jetting for the NFL, as is Jabari Small. That moves sophomore Dylan Sampson into the starting spot with freshmen Cam Seldon and Kahlifa Keith expected to get more carries behind him.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Vols' Dylan Sampson set for first start in Citrus Bowl clash with Iowa
Iowa thrives on defense: Tennessee's new-look offense will face as stern of a test as it can with a new quarterback. The Hawkeyes ranks top 10 nationally in total defense, holding opponents to 13.2 points and 102.5 rushing yards per game, which could pose problems for the Vols.
Special teams could change game: No team has punted more than Iowa this season. The Hawkeyes lead college football with 86 punts this season. Taylor averages more than 47 yards per punt and can flip the filed. Tennessee features one of the most explosive returners in Dee Williams, who has one return for a touchdown this season.
 
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#69
#69
Why the heck are Campbell and Spraggins out!?

Sheesh. Too many variables/unknowns lining up here, not feeling as good about this one since their Defense is so good. New QB, Oline at 50%... Secondary is a huge question mark... 21-17 Vols. No doubt we will start trying to run the ball and they will stack the box.

Iowa will be ready and bringing it wanting to knock off an SEC team, we better be freakin ready and firing on all cylinders or this won't be a fun game to watch. Confident that Heup will have us mentally ready and hoping the freshman/young/new guys will step up and have something to prove.
 
#71
#71
Glocker_Alum_2005 said:
Agree with Swain, if Defense gives up 14 today they should walk back to Knoxville...caveat: Assuming its not off TO/short field.
Click to expand...

Seems aggressive. They’ll get more opportunities today than they’ve had all year due to the speed of our offense.
 
#74
#74
MarcoVol said:
No excuses for them to what? What does success look like to you today?
Click to expand...
As in they are playing the worst offense in D1 football.

Iowa averages 239 yards per game at 4 yards per play over 59 plays per game. They average 16 points per game. Our defense averages 68 plays per game.

So I would think it is very reasonable to expect our defense to hold them under 275 yards and 18 points? That would be about average
 
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