Taking a look at No. 23 Iowa football’s bowl game opponent, No. 14 Vanderbilt

IOWA CITY — There’s one thing No. 14 Vanderbilt has made clear: Despite not making the College Football Playoff, the Commodores are taking the ReliaQuest Bowl as seriously as a CFP berth.

“We had control over this ... and we did not do enough.' I think it's really important that we take ownership,” Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea said Monday on SportsCenter . “The world expects us to be disappointed right now, but what we are is excited.”

Vanderbilt is facing No. 23 Iowa football in the ReliaQuest Bowl this season, marking the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Hawkeyes are 14-20 against SEC programs, but won in their last appearance at the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly Outback Bowl), taking down Mississippi State.

It’s a matchup Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said he was excited for the Hawkeyes to end the year on — and one that sets up a unique quarterback matchup.

“There's no downside to playing in a bowl game,” Ferentz said Sunday. ”Absolutely no downside when you get to play a top 15 ranked team. That's really special.”

The Commodores finished the regular season the highest-ranked SEC program not in the CFP. Vanderbilt ended the year on a three-game winning streak, including an overtime win over Auburn and a three-score win at Tennessee.

Led by quarterback Deigo Pavia — a Heisman Trophy finalist this year — Vanderbilt finished the season 10-2 (6-2 SEC) and averaged over 450 yards per game. Pavia ended his senior year with 3,192 passing yards with 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The signal caller also picked up nearly 70 rushing yards per game and nine rushing touchdowns.

Pavia most often connected with tight end Eli Stowers, who recorded 769 receiving yards on 62 targets with four touchdowns. Stowers sits inside the SEC’s top 10 in receiving yards for this year.

Lea confirmed during his bowl game announcement press conference Sunday afternoon that he doesn’t anticipate any Vanderbilt players — including Pavia and Stowers — to sit out of the bowl game.

Ferentz also confirmed that he hasn’t heard any Hawkeye players express intention to skip the bowl game.

“Every indication I have right now is our entire roster is ready to roll,” Ferentz said. “But that being said we still have a couple of weeks till game time, so I'll keep everybody posted. But right now, I think our team is really eager to accept this opportunity and looking forward to the challenge.“

Vanderbilt’s offensive success wasn’t just because of Pavia’s arm, although it certainly helped. The Commodores have scored 34 rushing touchdowns this season, pairing with the 28 scores through the air and one defensive score this year.

That’s 63 touchdowns scored in 12 games. The Vanderbilt defense allowed 30.

Even with the success the Commodores had this year, Vanderbilt was left out of the rankings — and went as far to try and play a 13th game after missing the SEC Championship game. Lea said the team never considered opting out of a bowl game after learning they missed the 12-team field Sunday, too.

“We happened to be on the wrong side of that in this moment, but that's no one's fault except for our own,” Lea said. “We had our opportunities and we didn't do enough, and so we are not victims in this process.”

Vanderbilt will be going for its first-ever 11-win season, amplifying the turnaround Lea has done with the program since taking the helm. Last year, Vanderbilt’s appearance in the Birmingham Bowl was the first Commodore bowl game since 2018, and the first bowl win since 2014.

It’s an achievement Ferentz has already taken note of following the wake of the bowl announcement, and added it brings more intensity to this year’s gridiron grand finale.

“Coach Lee has done an unbelievable job building that program,” Ferentz said. “They've really gained traction here for the last couple of years. And this year, being really close to being in the playoffs, from everything I can understand, rightfully so.”

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