The Iowa Hawkeyes leave for Orlando (Thursday) later today for a New Years Day matchup against LSU in the Capital One Bowl. The Hawkeyes hope the same type of schedule will lead to the same type of result as last seasons 37-17 win over Florida in the Outback Bowl. The players spent last Christmas in Tampa and they will do the same thing in Orlando.Senior punter David Bradley says there are a lot of teams that go down and party and have a good time. He says they’re going to take part in the bowl activities, but he says they’re going down to win the game. He says it’s one of the best matchups in the bowl games outside the national championship game. It is Iowa’s third straight bowl game in Florida but defensive end Matt Roth says it’s not getting old. Roth says they keep playing new teams and that makes it a fun challenge.After a loss at Michigan in their Big Ten opener the Hawkeyes stood 2-2. They closed with seven straight wins and grabbed a share of the title. Sophomore quarterback Drew Tate says they started practicing better and realized they had to get going after the Michigan game. Tate was named all Big Ten after leading an Iowa offense that lost its top four tailbacks to injury. The strength all year has been a solid defense that has provided field position and big plays.Linebacker Abdul Hodge says that’s not a secret anymore and he says they just want to continue playing well. Safety Sean Considine is part of a senior class that will play in its third straight January bowl. He says from where the program came to where it is now, he’s happy to be a part of the program. LSU also finished the regular season with a 9-2 record.
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