No. 17 Iowa, Missouri renew rare rivalry in Music City Bowl

Posted December 20, 2020 6:00 am

By The Associated Press

Iowa defenders Chauncey Golston (57) and Seth Benson (44) celebrate after tackling Penn State quarterback Will Levis (7) in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020.Iowa defeated Penn State 41-21. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger) The Associated Press

Missouri (5-5, SEC) vs. No. 17 Iowa (6-2, Big Ten), Dec. 30, 4 p.m. EST

LOCATION: Nashville, Tennessee

TOP PLAYERS

Missouri: RB Larry Rountree III has rushed for 972 yards and 14 touchdowns on 209 carries and ranks fourth in the SEC. He's the 23rd SEC player to surpass 3,500 career yards rushing and has 40 touchdowns.

Iowa: DL Chauncey Golston has 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. He's tied for third on the team with 45 tackles with an interception and a forced fumble on the Big Ten's second-best defense (313.8 yards allowed per game).

NOTABLE

Missouri: The Tigers just missed their second consecutive six-win regular season but are back in the postseason under first-year coach Eli Drinkwitz. They rebounded from an 0-2 start to win five of their final eight contests in an all-SEC slate and finished third in the East Division.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes enter with a six-game winning streak that earned second place in the Big Ten West Division. They outscored opponents 214-83 during the run, and their two losses were by a combined five points. Their defense ranked third in the conference in scoring defense (16.0). Iowa is 6-5 in bowl games against the current SEC lineup.

LAST TIME

Iowa won 27-24 in the 2010 Insight Bowl, but Missouri leads the series 7-6. The other matchups occurred between 1892-1910.

BOWL HISTORY

Missouri: First appearance in the Music City Bowl, 34th bowl appearance overall. The Tigers are 15-18 in bowls and fell 38-33 to Oklahoma State in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31, 2018. They've lost their last two postseason appearances.

Iowa: First appearance in the Music City Bowl, 34th bowl appearance overall. The Hawkeyes bring a three-game postseason winning streak and are 17-15-1 lifetime.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz is sacked by Iowa defensive lineman Chauncey Golston, left, during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa won 28-7. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) The Associated Press

Missouri running back Larry Rountree III (34) fights off an attempted tackle by Mississippi State defensive end Kobe Jones (52) on his way to a 18-yard touchdown run during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2019, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.