The 2025 Reliaquest Bowl features the 8-4 Iowa Hawkeyes and the 10-2 Vanderbilt Commodores. Here is the 2025 Reliaquest Bowl Preview.
Iowa Hawkeyes
The Hawkeyes won eight games to make their 12th straight bowl game (qualified in 2020, but didn’t go). They defeated three bowl-eligible teams this season: Penn State, Minnesota and Nebraska. All four of their losses were to teams who made bowl games: Iowa State, Indiana, Oregon and USC.
Iowa scores 28.9 points per game, ranking 58th in the country. They pass for 137.4 yards (ranked 129th) and rush for 177.8 yards (ranked 45th) per game.
Mark Gronowski transferred to Iowa from South Dakota State this offseason. He has passed for 1,529 yards, eight touchdowns and six interceptions on 62.5 percent completion. Three pass-catchers have over 200 receiving yards on the season. Tight end DJ Vonnahme has the team high with 288 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Four players carry the rushing load for the Hawkeyes. Kamari Moulton leads the team with 783 yards and four touchdowns. Gronowski has rushed for 491 yards and 15 touchdowns from the quarterback position. Jaziun Patterson and Xavier Williams have filled in the rest with 299 and 260 rushing yards, respectively.
On defense, the Hawkeyes allow 14.67 points per game, ranking seventh in the country. The Hawkeyes give up 112.4 rushing yards (ranked 24th) and 158.2 passing yards (ranked seventh) per game. Karson Sharar leads the team with 78 total tackles. Max Llewellyn and Ethan Hurkett are tied for the team-high with six sacks. Zach Lutmer has made plays on the ball in the secondary with six passes defended and three interceptions.
Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt won 10 games to qualify for their second straight bowl game. They defeated four bowl-eligible teams this season: Utah State, LSU, Missouri and Tennessee. Both of their losses were to bowl-eligible teams: Alabama and Texas.
The Commodores score 39.4 points per game, ranking eighth in the country. They pass for 282.6 yards (ranked 12th) and 185.9 yards (ranked 34th) per game.
Diego Pavia was a Heisman Finalist for the Commodores this season. He passed for 3,192 yards, 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 71.2 percent completion. Five players have at least 200 receiving yards on the season for the Commodores. Eli Stowers has been the standout with 62 receptions for 769 yards and four touchdowns.
Three players have done most of the damage on the ground for the Commodores. Pavia leads the team from the quarterback position with 826 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Sedrick Alexander and Makhilyn Young have been the top running backs with 560 and 410 rushing yards this season.
Defensively, the Commodores give up 21.92 points per game, tying for 41st in the nation. They concede 103.2 rushing yards (ranked 16th) and 252.5 passing yards (ranked 120th) per game. Linebacker Bryan Longwell leads the team in tackles with 67. Miles Capers has the team-high in sacks with 4.5. Martel Height has made impactful plays in the secondary with two passes defended and three interceptions.
Prediction
Iowa’s defense can keep them in this game. Their physicality is a lot and Vanderbilt may not be in the right headspace after missing out on the CFP and the Heisman Trophy.
Iowa Hawkeyes 21 Vanderbilt Commodores 17
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