5 Things: Iowa vs. Florida in the Outback Bowl

OK, you're full from holiday leftovers, surely. You're probably admiring your favorite gift — or whatever you exchanged your worst gift for at Best Buy today. But hey, it's time to look at a few of the most interesting things surrounding the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2.

Iowa finished the 2016 season about as well as anyone could've expected. Florida got shellacked by the prohibitive favorite to win the national championship. That means the Hawkeyes and Gators have had a very different last few weeks. Regardless, it's the fourth time Iowa and Florida will have faced off in a bowl game, and the third in the Outback Bowl.

Let's look at 5 Things: Iowa vs. Florida.

1. Rubber match

Iowa has a pretty long history in the Outback Bowl, and much of that — the majority, now, in fact — involves the Florida football team. As any Hawkeye fan with a pulse is aware, Jan. 2 will mark the third time the two teams face off in the Outback Bowl and the first time since Jan. 2006 and the 2005 season.

Next Tuesday's game in Tampa, Fla., is the rubber match for these two teams, which also met in the Jan. 2004 edition of the Outback Bowl. The entirety of both current Hawkeye and Gator football teams was somewhere between Kindergarten and fifth grade the last time the two programs played, which means if they watched the game it very well could've been while someone from their family yelled at the TV screen and they played with a toy they got for Christmas.

Last time they played: Chris Leak went 25 of 40 for 278 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-24 Florida win. Tim Tebow was a year away from joining the team. Drew Tate was 32 of 55 for 346 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Ed Hinkel caught nine passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Abdul Hodge had 19 tackles; Chad Greenway had nine. It also has a reputation for how (poorly) it was officiated — not that any of you remember that.

Before that? Nathan Chandler, Fred Russell, Sean Considine, Bob Sanders and Nate Kaeding helped lead Iowa to a 37-17 Iowa victory. Channing Crowder — who would go on to play for Nick Saban and the Miami Dolphins — led Florida with eight tackles.

All that to say: it's been a while, even if 10 years has flown by for everyone who watched or played in those games. Most of the players involved who went to the NFL have already ended said careers — save for notables like Greenway and Marshal Yanda.

2. A kingdom for a bowl win

Iowa has not won a bowl game since Dec. 28, 2010 in the Insight Bowl — a 27-24 win against still-in-the-Big 12 Missouri. Since then, it's been four losses in the Insight (Oklahoma), Outback (LSU), TaxSlayer (Tennessee) and Rose (Stanford) Bowls. It's been close and (very much) not so close.

So it stands to reason that when the entirety of a team hasn't won a bowl game, their saying winning said game is important isn't just lip service.

It's the last chance for C.J. Beathard and Desmond King; LeShun Daniels and George Kittle. All four of which, among so many others, who have contributed a great deal to Iowa the last four or five years and haven't been able to end their seasons with a victory yet. It means a great deal to them, and to Kirk Ferentz, who wants it for them, too.

'It's positive that they are thinking about it. They are aware of it,' Ferentz said. 'That is something they want to do and it's like anything, you know, it's going to come with a price.

'We're going to have to really play a good game, but I do think, I gave our seniors all the credit in the world for what happened down the stretch in November, and to me, I'm very confident they will do all they can to put us in position, at least in this game.'

3. Three yards and a cloud of dust

The Outback Bowl: where 200 yards passing might (OK, probably will) be a pipe dream.

On one side, Florida: the No. 6 total defense in the nation, multiple potential first round NFL draft picks in Teez Tabor (remember him for later), Quincy Wilson (him too) and Jarrad Davis; an offense that ranks 115th in the country and an uncertain quarterback situation (hold that thought). On the other, Iowa: a Thorpe Award winner in Desmond King, a Butkus Award finalist in Josey Jewell; a defense that's allowed 205.3 yards per game in its last three and an offense that ranks 120th in the country.

Jim McElwain has answered many of the same questions Ferentz has this year about struggling offense, and both teams enter the bowl with similar challenges: overcome an opposing defense that is playing very good football.

'They are athletic, they have got good size, the athleticism and speed and they are well-coached. Jim and his staff have done a great job in two years' time,' Ferentz said. 'Michigan does come to mind. They are very, very talented that way.

'It seems like everywhere you turn, they have somebody that can really make it difficult for you.'

4. Familiar unfamiliarity

For the third time this season, Iowa heads into a game not 100 percent certain who the opposing quarterback would be. Like going into the Wisconsin and Nebraska games, the Hawkeyes don't know for sure if they'll see Luke Del Rio back from his shoulder injury or if Austin Appleby will once again be under center for the Gators.

Del Rio wasn't exactly a world-beater when he was in — he threw for 1,358 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in the first six games, and McElwain contemplated a QB change before he was hurt anyway. Appleby has 1,225 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions since taking over. Neither will be the best Iowa has faced, but preparation still will be fragmented as Del Rio's status is uncertain.

Thankfully for Phil Parker and Co., there's experience in this area.

'It's clearly cloudy for us. We're not really sure which guy will be playing,' Ferentz said. 'They are not totally the same, but they are not totally different, either. So it's not like a radical departure. Everybody has got a personality or different traits, that type of thing. But at least we're not going from a guy that's strictly a runner to a guy that's strictly a thrower or one of those situations. It really doesn't alter things a lot for us.'

5. Players to watch

Florida has some fine offensive players. In addition to the aforementioned quarterbacks, running back Jordan Scarlett ran for 795 yards and six touchdowns, receiver Antonio Callaway caught 47 passes for 666 yards and kicker Eddy Pineiro has three field goals of 50 or more yards. But let's be honest: the ones to watch are on defense.

Teez Tabor, CB — This guy is a headline-maker, that's for sure. He changed his name from Jalen to Teez, for one. He planted a flag in LSU's end zone after a win. He's been suspended multiple times in his three years at Florida. He's also one of the best defensive backs in the nation, is the top-rated cornerback in this year's NFL Draft class, and likely will be a top 10 pick. He had four interceptions, five more breakups and 32 tackles this season.

Quincy Wilson, CB — For all the headlines taken up by the guy on the other side of the field, Wilson got some high praise from one NFL executive, as told to NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah earlier this season. The label of 'best cornerback in college football' don't get thrown around lightly. Wilson has first round potential as well. He had three interceptions, six more breakups and 31 total tackles.

Jarrad Davis, OLB — Tabor called Davis 'the heart and soul of this defense' in the wake of his badly sprained ankle earlier in the season. The highly-ranked linebacker missed three games and still finished second on the team in tackles with 60, and added six tackles for loss, two sacks, four breakups and five quarterback hurries this season. He's versatile and, like the other two, has serious first round potential.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com