(Tampa, Florida) The Iowa Hawkeyes enter their final days of preparation for the December 31 matchup against Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida. The Hawkeyes are a 5.5-point underdog.
Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz says Vanderbilt Head Coach Clark Lee has done a tremendous job building the program.
Coach Ferentz mentions the Commodores’ talented quarterback, Diego Pavia, who is a Heisman Trophy runner-up. This was Pavia’s second season playing for Vanderbilt, after starting his career at New Mexico State. He threw for 3,192 yards, 27 touchdowns, and eight interceptions and rushed for 826 yards and nine TDs in 2025.
Tight End Eli Stowers, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound athlete, caught 62 passes for 769 yards and four TDs in 2025. In two seasons at Vanderbilt, Stowers had 111 catches for 1,407 yards with nine TDs. There have been reports stating that Stowers may have opted out of the Bowl game.
Vanderbilt will face a tough Iowa defense. For example, Vanderbilt’s offense has been far more productive than what Iowa typically allows, averaging 39.4 points per game. The Hawkeyes have allowed opponents, on average, 15.2 points per contest.
The Commodores also racked up 468.5 yards per contest, and Iowa has held opponents to 270.6 yards per game.
On the other side, Vanderbilt is allowing the opposition 355.8 yards per game, while allowing 21.9 points per outing. Iowa’s offense scores 28.9 points per game, and 315.2 yards per game—about 40.6 fewer yards than the Commodores have allowed defensively.
The kick-off is at 11:00 a.m. at Raymond James Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN.
