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Punchless Iowa crushed by Tennessee

Sports

January 1st, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Iowa was no match for shorthanded Tennessee in a 35-0 loss in the Citrus Bowl.

(That’s Gary Dolphin and Ed Podolak on the Hawkeye Network.)

The Volunteers jumped out to a 14-0 first half lead and Iowa’s worst in the nation offense added an exclamation point with a dreadful performance. Quarterback Deacon Hill threw an interception in the end zone as Iowa was set to take an early lead, fumbled at the Iowa two and threw a pick six early in the fourth quarter.

That’s coach Kirk Ferentz. Iowa finished the game with 173 yards of offense and played the final 10 quarters of the season without scoring a touchdown. They finish an injury plagued season with a record of 10-4.

The first chore for Ferentz this month will be to hire a new offensive coordinator to fix the Hawkeyes’ ailing offense.

Defensive end Joe Evans closed his Hawkeye career by setting an Iowa bowl record with four sacks.

Tennessee freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava rushed for three touchdowns and passed for another in his first start of his career.