Future at QB blurred at best

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., - Iowa did end up playing two quarterbacks. Neither QB advanced Iowa's cause much, but then again Tennessee defensive linemen put hit after hit on them during a dismal first half.

Iowa's problems in this game extended way beyond the quarterback position. Know that. Repeat it over and over. Yet another offense attacked Iowa's defense on the perimeter with huge success. Iowa ended up with 244 rushing yards, led by junior Jordan Canzeri's 120 yards on 12 carries, but while Tennessee took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, the Hawkeyes were held to 15 yards on 10 carries.

Iowa didn't establish any thrust on offense nor on defense, but it did play two quarterbacks in Friday's 45-28 loss in the TaxSlayer Bowl.

Junior Jake Rudock started and finished 2 of 8 for 32 yards and had 22 rushing yards on two carries. Sophomore C.J. Beathard took over and played the majority of the game, finishing 13 of 23 for 145 yards, two TDs, an interception and a fumble. Beathard also gained 82 yards on eight carries.

So, by sheer numbers, Beathard was Iowa's primary QB, but what that means remains to be seen. The Volunteers scored TDs on their first four drives. Two QBs, 20 QBs, it really didn't matter for the Hawkeyes.

'I think it gave us a little advantage,” Iowa offensive tackle Brandon Scherff said. 'C.J. is a runner and he's not afraid to sling the ball. They had to be ready for both QBs.”

Tennessee was ready for everything Iowa had to offer. The Vols didn't record a sack, but they did have six QB hurries and put five solid hits on Iowa QBs in the first half.

'Sacks are hard to come by, but pressuring the quarterback, impacting the quarterback can be just as big as a sack,” UT coach Butch Jones said.

After UT took a 7-0 lead, Iowa put together a drive that was poised to answer. The Hawkeyes had a third-and-2 at the Vols' 34-yard line. Tennessee stopped fullback Macon Plewa for 1-yard on third down and stacked up running back Mark Weisman for no gain on fourth down.

Iowa coached Kirk Ferentz was asked after the game why he didn't call for a measurement.

'I was standing right there,” he said. 'It was pretty obvious we didn't make it based on the spot that I saw. It wasn't that close.”

Did either Iowa quarterback advance his cause? They can't be happy splitting the job, but we don't know that and don't know either QB's future. They weren't made available for postgame interviews.

'We'll go back and look at it and go from there,” Ferentz said.

And that's where it will stand until spring practice opens in March.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com