No. 23 Missouri and Iowa finally get to play each other in the Music City Bowl

By TERESA M. WALKER The Associated Press

Missouri quarterback Brady Cook, center right, celebrates with fans after defeating Arkansas in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/L.G. Patterson]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Missouri Tigers and Iowa Hawkeyes finally get to make up for a missed opportunity on Monday at the Music City Bowl.

The teams originally were set to play each other here in 2020 when Missouri was hit hard by COVID-19 cases, canceling the game. Iowa got here in 2022 and shut out Kentucky, but this will be Missouri’s first trip to the bowl sponsored by TransPerfect.

“It’s hard to screw up Nashville,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of playing at Nissan Stadium, home to the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. “It’s a great venue. I think our players really enjoyed it last time.”

No. 23 Missouri (9-3, No. 19 CFP) needs a victory for back-to-back 10-win seasons for the third time in school history and the first since 2013-14. The Tigers sold out their ticket allotment and asked for more.

Iowa (8-4) rebounded from a 4-3 start by winning four of its last five to earn this berth. Ferentz credited his Hawkeyes for finishing strong to reach a 12th straight bowl. They started this year by being shut out in the Citrus Bowl.

Ferentz’s marks

The Iowa coach is a win away from a couple of impressive marks in Big Ten history as he wraps up his 26th season with the Hawkeyes. Ferentz has 204 career victories and needs one more to tie Woody Hayes’ 205 wins at Ohio State for the most overall wins in league history. Ferentz also has 10 career bowl victories, tying him with Joe Paterno for most bowl wins among Big Ten coaches.

Brady Cook

The Missouri quarterback leads the bowl-veteran Tigers. He will become the first quarterback in Missouri history to start four straight bowls. He is 26-13 as a starter, trailing only Chase Daniel’s 30 wins for the most at Missouri. Cook has completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,248 yards this season. He also can run, with 73 carries for 169 yards.

Cook won’t have one of his favorite targets. Luther Burden III, who had 61 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns despite facing double- and triple-team coverage, announced on Dec. 2 he would skip the bowl to prepare for the NFL draft.

Can Iowa run without Johnson?

Iowa averaged 199.9 yards rushing a game, the most for the program since the Hawkeyes averaged 214.2 yards rushing in 2002. They come in having run for at least 200 yards eight times this season to set a program record. They lead the Big Ten in rushing and rank 21st nationally.

But the Hawkeyes won’t have Big Ten rushing leader Kaleb Johnson. The running back also announced at the start of December that his next stop will be the NFL draft in April. He ran for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns in 12 games, averaging 128 yards, which ranks him sixth nationally. Kamari Moulton will be starting, and he averaged 5.4 yards per carry, with 377 yards and two TDs this season.

Defensive Tigers

Defensive end Johnny Walker has had at least a half-sack in six straight games, and he’s also playing in his fourth bowl. He was the defensive MVP in the 2023 Cotton Bowl, with a sack and a forced fumble in Missouri’s 14-3 win over Ohio State.

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