The Citrus Bowl matchup between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Tennessee Volunteers on January 2, 2015, will forever be etched in the minds of Hawkeye fans as one of their worst-ever bowl losses. The game ended with a devastating scoreline of 35-0 in favor of Tennessee, leaving Iowa football humiliated and disheartened.
From the opening kickoff, it was evident that Iowa was outmatched and outplayed by a superior Tennessee team. The Volunteers' offense dominated the field, scoring touchdowns at will while their defense stifled any attempt by Iowa to gain momentum. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs led Tennessee's offensive charge with his exceptional passing skills and elusive running ability.
It was the Hawkeyes’ biggest bowl loss in program history.
“Disappointing today,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “It never feels good after a loss.”
The glimmer came as Iowa had a red-zone opportunity in the first quarter while the game was tied 0-0. The Hawkeyes reached the Tennessee 4-yard line before Deacon Hill threw an interception into double coverage.
"When you do get good field position and then take it down inside and give yourself a chance to come out with a touchdown, and do not, that is not good,“ Ferentz said. ”The worst offense was not getting any points. Big difference between three and seven — it is obviously four — just to start building some momentum.“
Iowa, which finished the season 10-4, had just 173 yards of offense. Hill threw for just 56 yards and was sacked four times before being removed from the game for true freshman Marco Lainez, who rushed for 51 yards but was 2-of-7 passing for four yards.
The Hawkeyes head into the offseason with plenty of questions on the offensive side of the ball, including who will be the next offensive coordinator.
Over the last two seasons, Iowa has arguably been the worst offense in all of college football. There is no threat in the passing game, no aggressiveness and a lot of question marks.
Do they go with Cade McNamara at quarterback or do they give the mobile Marco Lainez a chance? How long does Kirk Ferentz stick around? How long does Phil Parker stay there? Does Phil Parker get fed up with the lack of offensive output? The Iowa Hawkeyes are entering a long, curious offseason.
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