The Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten Conference and
the Oklahoma Sooners of the Big 12 will meet in Tempe, Arizona for what
figures to be a competitive Insight Bowl matchup.
The Hawkeyes are making their second straight appearance in the Insight Bowl,
as they knocked off another Big 12 foe in Missouri last year, 27-24. Iowa has
earned a 14-10-1 record in 25 all-time bowl appearances, and considering the
fact that the program is 4-1 in its five bowl meetings with Big 12 opponents,
history seems to be in favor of the squad. This year's team enters with a
somewhat disappointing 7-5 record, including a 4-4 mark versus Big Ten
opponents. Kirk Ferentz is 6-3 in bowl games as the head coach at Iowa, and he
has led the program to bowl eligibility in 11 consecutive seasons.
"They have a lot of great players on their roster, as we look at their film,
it's going to be an imposing task for us," said Ferentz of the Sooners.
This showdown marks the 45th bowl appearance for Oklahoma, and the Sooners'
only previous Insight Bowl appearance resulted in a 25-point loss to BYU back
in 1994 when the game was known as the Copper Bowl. The Sooners have an all-
time bowl record of 26-17-1, with wins in their past two postseason games.
Oklahoma is 9-3 overall this season and finished fourth in the Big 12. A win
in this bout would give Oklahoma its 33rd 10-win season, a number that leads
the nation.
These two teams have had one common opponent this season, Iowa State. The
Sooners defeated the Cyclones by a 26-6 final while the Hawkeyes fell to their
in-state rivals in triple-overtime, 44-41.
"You know, we played nine games really well and we played three defensively
very poorly," said Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops. "I would say for sure in
two of them, offense really contributed to it with turnovers and field
position and momentum and those kind of things."
The only previous meeting between Iowa and Oklahoma took place back in 1979
and resulted in a 21-6 victory for the Sooners. Ironically, Stoops played
defensive back for the Hawkeyes in that contest.
In last season's Insight Bowl, Iowa tailback Marcus Coker earned offensive MVP
honors as he was downright dominant, as the then-freshman rushed for 219 yards
and a pair of touchdowns on 33 carries. Unfortunately, Coker won't be on the
field for this contest, as he was recently suspended for disciplinary reasons.
"It is unfortunate that Marcus Coker will not be with the team for our bowl
game. We will focus and continue to prepare the players that are able to
participate," Ferentz said in a recent statement.
Coker was a force during the 2011 regular season, as he rushed for 1,384 yards
and 15 touchdowns while averaging over 23 carries per contest. Obviously, the
standout will be sorely missed, putting added pressure on a respectable
passing attack that helped the Hawkeyes average 28.7 ppg and 379.2 total ypg.
Junior QB James Vandenberg has completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 2,806
yards and 23 TDs against six INTs. Marvin McNutt is the star on the outside,
as he has 78 catches for 1,269 yards and 12 scores.
The Iowa defense will play with some added motivation in this bowl game, as
defensive coordinator Norm Parker has announced that he will retire after the
tilt. Parker has been in his current position for the last 13 years and has
enjoyed tremendous success, and the long-time leader was recently named
Assistant Coach of the Year by the AFCA.
Opponents are scoring 23.2 ppg against the Hawkeyes, who are yielding just 3.7
yards per rushing attempt. There is room for improvement against the pass,
especially when considering the fact that opponents have tossed 20 TDs against
only nine interceptions this season. James Morris leads the defense with 105
tackles, while Mike Daniels has seven sacks to his credit.
That UI defense is fortunate that the Oklahoma offense has been hit hard by
injury this season, as the Sooners were nearly impossible to slow down when
everyone was healthy. Star wideout Ryan Broyles was lost with a torn ACL early
in November, while tailback Dominique Whaley was lost in late October with an
ankle injury. Wideout Jaz Reynolds will also miss this bowl game with a kidney
issue.
"We've had some significant injuries over the last half of the season, but
this is an opportunity for other players," said Stoops. "We're excited about
our trip to Tempe and the opportunity we've got to reach 10 wins."
Oklahoma was crushed by Oklahoma State in the regular-season finale by a 44-10
final, and that lopsided defeat featured a poor offensive showing. Sure, the
Sooners are averaging 40.2 ppg and 532.1 total ypg, but QB Landy Jones has a
difficult time reaching those numbers without Whaley and Broyles. Jones is
considered one of the top signal-callers in the nation, and he has completed
63.1 percent of his passes this season for 4,302 yards, 28 touchdowns and 14
INTs. Broyles and Reynolds have combined for 15 receiving scores and nearly
1,900 receiving yards, so a great deal of pressure now falls on fellow wideout
Kenny Stills (818 yards, eight TDs).
Frank Alexander, the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive
Lineman of the Year, leads the Oklahoma defense into this bowl game, and he
was recently honored as a Second-Team All-American. Alexander led the Big 12
with 8.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss, and the standout also broke up six
passes. The Sooners are limiting opponents to 22.8 ppg and 383.2 total ypg,
and the club has been particularly strong against the run, holding ball
carriers to 3.8 yards per attempt. There is plenty of room for improvement
against the pass however, as foes are gaining 12.5 yards per completion.
©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
