Defensive-minded No. 20 Iowa, offensive-driven No. 25 Tennessee offer clash of styles in Citrus Bowl

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The old saying in boxing is styles make fights.

If that’s so, the Citrus Bowl matchup between No. 25 Tennessee and No. 20 Iowa will be an interesting tussle on New Year’s Day.

The Volunteers (8-4) like to stretch the field vertically with a no-huddle offense that aims to get in as many plays as possible while preventing opponents from making substitutions between plays.

The Hawkeyes (10-3), on the other hand, rely heavily on a stingy defense that forces opponents to earn everything they get offensively.

“It’s not just the numbers that say they have a really good defense. You can watch the film,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “They’re dialed in, they make you earn it. They don’t give up a bunch of big plays.”

Iowa’s defense was the story all season as the Hawkeyes rode the unit to a Big Ten West division title and a trip to the conference championship game, where the Hawkeyes lost to top-ranked Michigan.

Iowa ranked fifth in the nation in total defense, yielding 274.8 yards per game. It was fourth in scoring defense at 13.2 points per game.

The Hawkeyes allowed more than 20 points just twice — in their two losses to Michigan and No. 10 Penn State.

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“They play extremely physical,” Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle said. “They tackle well in space. They scheme well. They are just a very sound, solid, strong defense from top to bottom.”

Tennessee scored fewer than 20 points only three times — in losses to Florida, Missouri and Georgia. The Volunteers finished 17th in the nation in total offense at 453.5 yards per game and 37th in scoring offense at 31.5 points per game.

There’s a question, though, about how effective the Tennessee offense will be Monday without quarterback Joe Milton and running back Jaylen Wright, who opted out of the Citrus Bowl.

Freshman Nico Iamaleava will make his first career start for the Volunteers in place of Milton.

“We’re going to have to play somebody back there,” Iowa cornerback Sebastian Castro said. “It’s going to be a talented QB. We’re just going to have to beat him the day of the game.”

OTHER SIDE OF THE BALL

While Tennessee garners a lot of attention, the Volunteers have been solid defensively, too.

The Volunteers ranked 35th in scoring defense, allowing up 22 points per game, and 38th in total defense at 348.7 yards per game.

Iowa struggled mightily on offense, averaging just 16.6 points per game. That’s the fourth-lowest scoring average in the country.

WELCOME BACK

Tennessee practiced all week at UCF, the old stomping grounds for Heupel and many of his assistants. Heupel was UCF’s coach from 2018-20 before leaving for Tennessee.

PUSH FOR 11

The Hawkeyes have a shot at finishing with at least 11 victories in a season for just the fourth time in school history. The last time they finished with more than 11 wins was a 12-2 season in 2015 that ended in the Rose Bowl.

WE’RE BACK

Tennessee is playing in the Citrus Bowl for the sixth time, although it’s the team’s first appearance in the game since 2002. The Volunteers are 4-1 over their five previous visits. Iowa lost to Kentucky in the 2022 Citrus Bowl and is making its third Citrus Bowl appearance overall.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football