The Iowa football wrapped up its final practice this afternoon leading up to Saturday’s Alamo Bowl against Texas. Practice has been the focus of the past month as the Hawks try to rebound from a disastrous end to the regular season in which they lost five of their last six games.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says they’re practicing better and that’s the first step to playing well. The Hawks are substantial underdogs against Texas but having played Ohio State and Michigan should help them in this game. Ferentz says those two Big Ten foes are two of the best teams in the country. Ferentz says the good news is that they have experience playing tough teams, the bad news is they didn’t beat those teams.
Running back Albert Young says the Longhorns have the kind of talent the Hawkeyes saw against the Buckeyes and Wolverines. Young says the outcome of the games wasn’t what they wanted, but they know they can play with them.
Iowa offensive lineman Marshall Yanda says the talent level will be similar to Ohio State and Michigan. He says they can’t be doing anything different than what they’ve seen this season. Defensive end Bryan Mattison says a win would be a great way to head into the off-season. Mattison says it wouldn’t erase the poor record this season, but it would make them feel better to end with a win.
Iowa quarterback Drew Tate says the Hawks have worked hard since the end of the regular season. He says they’ve focused on improving what they do and he thinks they’ve done that. The Hawkeyes will have a walk through at the Alamo Dome on Friday afternoon.