Iowa defensive tackle Matt Kroul says the Hawkeyes feel they have a lot to prove in Thursday’s Outback Bowl game against South Carolina. The Hawks won five of their last six games to reach a January bowl for the fifth time in seven years. Kroul says they want to end it with a victory.

Kroul says it’s a good opportunity after hearing how the Big Ten Conference can’t compete with other conferences. Kroul says as a Big Ten school the Hawks feel like they need to help the league’s image. Ohio State has lost in the national championship game the past two years and the Big Ten is already 0-2 in bowl games this year.

Kroul says the conference is underdogs in almost every bowl game this year and he says they want to go out and prove themselves. Kroul says they Hawks are not thinking about what could have been. A strong of close losses early in the season prevented Iowa from making a serious run at the Big Ten title.

Kroul says it’s something you can remember, but says that’s football and says the great teams win the close games. South Carolina is 7-5.