The Iowa football team goes through its first practice in San Antonio later today leading up to Saturday’s Alamo Bowl against Texas. Bowl games are designed to be a reward for players who taker part in a number of activities and also receive a slew of gifts for taking part.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says bowl games also take a lot of sacrifice as players are taking finals, coaches want to practice. Coaches are also recruiting while they’re trying to prepare. Ferentz says the families of the coaches are the ones who “get the short end of the stick.”
But Ferentz says it is all worth it to play one more game. He says if you’re a football player and a coach, you love playing in another game, regardless of your record.
Offensive tackle Marshall Yanda says the players don’t mind being away from home on Christmas. Yanda says he’s still young and has a lot of Christmas days ahead, so he is happy to be with his team on Christmas.