LSU vs. Iowa, 2014 Outback Bowl: Tigers hold off Hawkeyes in sloppy game

Wisconsin’s final four drives: 21 plays, 88 yards (4.2 per play), three turnovers, and a turnover on downs. Phillips, who did captain the Badgers to the Big Ten title in 2012 after another Stave injury, completed just seven of 12 passes for 37 yards and was picked off twice. A kick return touchdown kept the Badgers in the game, but South Carolina scored with six minutes left to make the score 34-24, and the Badgers had no answer.

There’s nothing saying Wisconsin would have won with Stave -- South Carolina was a much better team in close-and-late situations than Wisconsin in 2013 -- but without him, there was evidently no chance.

This is a sports Internet website, so here is Zach Mettenberger picking his nose and eating it while on the sidelines of the Outback Bowl:

Come on, man! Don’t you know you just won free Bloomin’ Onions for all of America? (Jury still out on whether boogers are healthier/better tasting than Bloomin’ Onions.)

Les Miles improved to 41-2 out of conference at LSU as his Tigers punished an ordinarily strong Iowa defense, winning the Outback Bowl, 21-14.

With senior QB Zach Mettenberger out with a knee injury, LSU ran the ball on every play of its first drive, an eight-play, 77-yard mashing that ended in a 2-yard score for true freshman QB Anthony Jennings on third down. Jennings didn’t have a particularly good game, going 7 for 19 for 82 yards and a pick, but he wasn’t asked to do much and LSU still got all it needed for the win.

LSU outgained Iowa (significantly, until the final play) and committed fewer turnovers and penalties. JaMarcus Russell found Skyler Green for two touchdowns in the final nine minutes, Iowa made some clock management mistakes in the final seconds, and it appeared that LSU was going to take the 2005 Capital One Bowl, 25-24.

And then somebody forgot to cover Warren Holloway.

Iowa’s passing game did not strike all that much fear into its opponents with an average of just 200.4 yards a game, but the Hawkeyes did a good job at moving the ball on the ground.

LSU (SEC, 9-3 SU, 5-6-1 ATS, 8-3-1 OU) lost to Georgia and Ole Miss by a combined six points, but it got its doors blown off in a 38-17 loss to Alabama as a 14-point road underdog. Other than that, the Tigers were one of the best teams in the nation on both sides of the ball. However, they were especially difficult to bet with down the stretch, with a 1-4 record ATS in their final five games.

The Outback Bowl is right around the corner. While it may not be the bowl game Iowa and LSU fans were hoping for at the beginning of the season, it’ll still serve as a nice way to send out the seniors and get another glimpse at the guys who could step in and play a much bigger role in 2014.

As for LSU’s gameplan with Jennings moving forward, look for the Tigers to continue running the football early and often. Here is PSD’s scouting report on Jennings.

* 750 pounds of sirloin steak (doused in 40 gallons of Diablo Sauce)

* 750 pounds of chicken

* 900 pounds of ribs

* 700 pounds of house salad

* 400 pounds of baked potatoes

* 1,600 coconut shrimp

* 160 bloomin’ onions

* 1,600 dinner rolls

* 1,200 pounds of cheese cake

* 80 gallons of barbecue sauce

On Friday, the teams will “visit Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for a fun day of coasters and animal encounters.” That, and vomiting. Oh, so much vomiting.

In mid-November, it looked nearly impossible that Oklahoma could find their way to a BCS bowl. Sure, they had wins over ranked Notre Dame and Texas Tech teams, but neither was looking quite as good as the numbers to the left of their names might have suggested. The only real challenges the Sooners faced were against Texas and Baylor -- both resulted in blowout losses.

But Oklahoma recovered, easily defeating Iowa State and Kansas State before pulling out a dramatic upset win in Stillwater to rob rival Oklahoma State of the conference crown while simultaneously taking away their BCS berth.

Also, our Syracuse site is trying to raise money to send 1,000 kids to the game. Pitch in!

Michigan started the season 4-0, with tight wins over suspect opponents like Akron and Connecticut balancing out a win over a ranked Notre Dame. A four-overtime loss to Penn State ruined the team’s perfect record, and Michigan would end up losing to Michigan State, Nebraska, Iowa and Ohio State. The Wolverines will hope to get more consistent play on both sides of the ball against Kansas State.

Iowa’s playing LSU in the Outback Bowl, but the real story will be off the field! Way off the field, because nobody who eats bloomin’ onions will be in any shape to be playing any football for a while. Outback Steakhouse has the details:

Victory or defeat, everyone gets free eats Jan. 2nd. If LSU takes home the Outback Bowl trophy, Outback will give away free Bloomin’ Onions nationwide. If Iowa prevails, it will be free Coconut Shrimp for all. Just say “Outback Bowl” to your server on Jan. 2 to score the free app.Simply lock eyes with your server. Hold your server’s gaze for some time. Grin. Signal for your server to come closer. Yes, just like that. Whisper in your server’s ear, like Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, “Outback Bowl.” Choke down your reward.