The Missouri Tigers will face the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Music City Bowl on Monday. Here are the key players and matchups.

We’ve had signing day, a Christmas break and most of the portal season behind us, but now it’s time to get back to preparing for the final football game of the season.

The Missouri Tigers (9-3) will face the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4) in the Music City Bowl on Monday at 1:30 p.m. (ESPN).

The Tigers begin a two-game winning streak and seek their second straight 10-win season when they face Iowa in a never-happening rematch of the 2020 Music City Bowl.

Iowa begins a two-game winning streak and is making its 11th bowl game (and 12th bid) in the last 12 years. Iowa is 4-6 in the 10 bowl games it has played since 2014.

Missouri entered the game as a four-point favorite, according to Circa Sports, but is now a 2.5-point favorite.

Here’s a look at Iowa and what awaits Missouri in the Music City Bowl.

When: 1:30 p.m., CT, Monday

Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

TV: ESPN

Radio: Tiger Radio Network

The Tigers and Hawkeyes have faced each other 13 times, but only once in the last 100 years.

The teams competed every year from 1892 to 1896, then again in 1902 and 1903 before a series from 1906 to 1910.

After that, it took 100 years until the teams were back on the gridiron in the 2010 Insight Bowl in Tempe, Arizona.

Missouri holds a 7-6 lead in the all-time series, but Iowa won 27-24 in 2010.

Goal offense: 28.0 (No. 69)

Point defense: 17.1 (No. 9)

Rushing offense: 199.8 (No. 20)

Rushing Defense: 117.5 (No. 27)

Passing offense: 131.7 (No. 130)

Pass defense: 196.1 (No. 36)

Brendan Sullivan, QB

With normal starter Cade McNamara The Hawkeyes are still in the transfer portal and are expected to turn to junior Brendan Sullivan (6-foot-1, 220 pounds), who is returning from an ankle injury that forced him into his sophomore year Jackson Stratton (6-4, 193) into the final two games of the regular season after McNamara missed the final four games due to a concussion.

Sullivan played in nine games this season, starting two and completing 24 of 35 passes for 344 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

In the three games in which he attempted more than five passes, Sullivan completed 22 of 33 passes for 330 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions while completing 108 yards and two touchdowns on 26 attempts.

His best yardage performance came against UCLA, in which game he injured his ankle completing 6 of 9 passes for 157 yards but throwing both interceptions.

While leading the Hawkeyes to a win against Northwestern, he completed 9 of 14 passes for 80 yards while rushing for 40 yards and scoring on eight attempts. Then, in a win against Wisconsin, he completed 7 of 10 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts.

Kamari Moulton, Jaziun Patterson, RBs

With running back Caleb Johnson With the Hawkeyes missing the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft, they will turn to redshirt freshman Kamari Moulton (5-11, 206) and sophomore Jaziun Patterson (5-10, 195). to fuel the rushing attack that has led the Hawkeyes to most of their victories this year.

Johnson took over the vast majority of the runs and provided the majority of the production this season. He ran on 240 of 463 attempts for 1,537 of the team’s 2,398 rushing yards this season.

Moulton was next on the team with 70 attempts for 377 yards and two touchdowns, while Patterson had 54 carries for 235 yards and two touchdowns.

Moulton posted a 114-yard, 12-carry performance against Maryland, including a 68-yard touchdown run. He also had 74 yards on nine attempts against Wisconsin and 65 yards on 19 attempts against it State of Illinois.

Otherwise, he did not reach 50 yards in any of his other eight games and rushed for -4 yards on three attempts against Nebraska in his final game.

Patterson had 72 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts against Troy and 66 yards on 18 attempts against Minnesota. He also rushed for 56 yards and a score on 10 attempts against Wisconsin.

Otherwise, his game-high was 11 yards in his other six games, including a rush for no yards in the final game against Nebraska.

Jacob Gill, WR

Gill, a 6-0, 185-pound junior, was the team’s leading receiver with 382 yards, 32 catches to go and two touchdowns.

His best performance by far was six catches for 138 yards against UCLA, otherwise he didn’t reach 50 yards in a game.

His other touchdown came against Illinois State when he had three catches for 46 yards. He also added four catches for 47 yards against Iowa State and five catches for 44 yards against Troy. Then his high for a game against Maryland drops to 29.

DEFENSE

Jay Higgins, LB

Fifth-year linebacker Jay Higgins (6-2, 232) was the most productive member of the Hawkeye defense with 118 tackles, including 2.5 for losses and a sack. He also hit five passes, intercepted four more and forced two fumbles.

His interceptions came against Iowa State, Minnesota, Northwestern and Maryland. His dismissal came against Ohio State.

He played in three consecutive games: Ohio State, Washington and Michigan State, where he recorded 14 tackles in each performance while adding 11 against Iowa State and 10 against Wisconsin.

Ethan Hurkett, DL

The 6-3, 260-pound defensive lineman led Iowa with 6.5 sacks to go and 11.5 tackles for a loss.

He recorded 55 total tackles and had three tackles for a loss and two sacks against Maryland and Nebraska at the end of the season.

He also forced three fumbles, one against Nebraska and two against Troy.

Nick Jackson, LB

With a defensive back Jermari Harris Graduate linebacker Nick Jackson (6-0, 235), not playing as he prepares for the draft, leads the Hawkeye defense with seven passes batted.

He also recorded 83 tackles, including five for loss and 2.5 sacks. He intercepted a pass against Wisconsin and produced 12 tackles against UCLA and 11 each against Washington and Michigan State.

Nate Noel and Marcus Carrol vs. Iowa’s run defense

Considering Johnson’s departure, the Hawkeye run defense is the best unit on the field.

The Tigers should be able to throw a little healthier Brady Cook for the first time in a few games, but Missouri built its offense off the run in the final games of the regular season and it worked very well.

To achieve this again, there will be a strong matchup with the Iowa defense.

Mizzou’s run defense vs. Iowa’s offensive line

I don’t know how much to expect from the two Iowa running backs we’re likely to see, but the offensive line is still loaded and third-string running backs can look great when the offensive line has them 4 yards ahead Contact caught.

The Tiger defense, which has struggled against the run this season, will have to force Iowa to throw.

If it succeeds, the Tigers will be in the best possible position.