The Iowa Hawkeyes got shut out for the third time of the 2023 season in their 35-0 Citrus Bowl defeat to Tennessee.
Deacon Hill turned the ball over three times, and a pick six in the second half led to freshman Marco Lainez seeing action. But the results were largely unchanged: Iowa didn’t score a point.
“Offense is pretty complicated,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “It’s a team effort. We’ve played some top 10 teams, we’ve been a top 10 team. I think we know what it takes and what’s required. Whether it’s this year or 1999, if you turn the ball over, if you have negative yardage, it’s going to be tough.”
“We fight for each other, we play for each other head-to-head at practice every single day,” linebacker Nick Jackson said. “I’m so proud of those guys — they’ve been through a lot.”
“We asked a lot from this defense this year and I’m extremely proud,” linebacker Jay Higgins said. “I don’t think this one game is going to change how I view those guys.”
It’s now been 14 quarters since Iowa’s scored against a ranked opponent. You have to go back to October 2022 to find the last time the Hawkeyes scored a touchdown against one (a garbage-time TD by Luke Lachey against Michigan).
The search for a new offensive coordinator now heats up for Kirk Ferentz.
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