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Thank you for following along here on VAVEL. The recap of the game will be up shortly. This is Thomas Cluck saying so long!
49-24 Iowa- Final
Iowa finishes off a beatdown of USC in the Holiday Bowl with a dominant second-half performance to win 49-24 and give Kirk Ferentz's Hawkeyes another double-digit win season. The Trojans will go into 2020 with even more questions after a troubling offensive performance following Slovis' injury and a disastrous defensive outing in San Diego.
49-24 Iowa
Pick six! Iowa adds insult to injury on USC in this Holiday Bowl beatdown as Nick Niemann intercepts Matt Fink and returns it 25 yards for a touchdown.
42-24 Iowa
The Hawkeyes take advantage with Nate Stanley scrambling and staying alive for Iowa, passing it six yards to Brandon Smith for the touchdown to essentially ice the game.
Fumble- USC
Matt Fink cannot corral the high snap deep in Trojan territory and Iowa recovers with brilliant field position in the red zone inside the ten yard line in position to put USC away.
That's the end of the third quarter here in San Diego, with the Hawkeyes leading USC 35-24 . Fourth quarter from SDCCU Stadium coming up next.
Fumble- USC
The Hawkeyes defense strips the ball on USC star receiver Michael Pittman Jr.'s second effort to get the first down and comes up with a huge turnover.
35-24 Iowa
The Hawkeyes ride quarterback Nate Stanley's QB sneak and their brutish offensive line before switching it up on third-and-goal with a one-yard Tyler Goodson run for a touchdown to extend their lead.
Injury Update- USC
A dangerous play and strip from Iowa defensive lineman AJ Epenesa turns and twists Kedon Slovis' arm and he is writhing in pain and leaving the game. It appears it could be a shoulder or bicep injury.
Trojans backup Matt Fink, who came in as the backup for Slovis to lead USC to an upset win over Utah at home earlier this season, has entered the game.
Injury Update- USC
After sustaining a hard hit into the ground, Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovia came in and out of the USC sideline medical tent but has returned to the game.
28-24 Iowa
Huge downfield pass from Slovis to Amon-Ra St. Brown sets up an easy three-yard Stephen Carr rushing touchdown before Chase McGrath makes it just a four point game to start the second half.
The second half is underway and USC receives the ball and begins on offense!
That concludes the first half of football here in the Holiday Bowl at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego, California!
The Trojans will receive the ball first to start the next half.
28-17 Iowa
The Trojans manage to get downfield towards the end of the first half but have to settle for a field goal with Chase McGrath kicking it 32 yards to close the half.
28-14 Iowa
It's turning into a big night for Ihmir Smith-Marsette in San Diego, scoring another touchdown on a 12-yard touchdown pass before Keith Duncan makes it a two-touchdown lead for Iowa.
21-14 Iowa
Lightning strike down the field for the Hawkeyes as Ihmir Smith-Marsette takes the kick return 98 yards for a touchdown!
14-14
USC ties the game again after a brilliant drive led by Kedon Slovis, finishing with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Vavae Malepeai before McGrath's extra point.
14-7 Iowa
Smith-Marsette runs six yards for a touchdown to get Iowa back ahead after a good Keith Duncan PAT.
That's the end of the first quarter here in San Diego, with the game tied at 7-7.
Quarter two from SDCCU Stadium coming up next.
7-7
The Trojans get on the board with a strong drive culminating in a four-yard Kedon Slovis touchdown pass to Drake London before a successful Chase McGrath extra point.
7-0 Iowa
The Hawkeyes strike first on an up-and-down opening drive, surviving a Nate Stanley fumble forced by Hufanga and capitalizing with a 23-yard Tyrone Tracy Jr. running touchdown. Keith Duncan's extra point is good.
USC will get their first shot on offense next when they get the ball!
And the opening kick is off and underway!
Iowa won the toss and chose to receive. Iowa will get the ball first.
Iowa and USC have walked out onto the field and the pre-game coin flip is coming up soon.
Pre-game warmups are underway on the field.
We are here inside SDCCU Stadium in San Diego, California for the Holiday Bowl between the number 16 Iowa Hawkeyes and the number 22 USC Trojans!
.@joelklatt & @gusjohnson talk @HolidayBowl matchup | #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/rRsh7BsX47
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) December 27, 2019
Check back here before game time for pre-game updates, news and notes, warm ups, and more live from San Diego.
Do not miss a detail of the match with the with VAVEL. Follow along with us all the details, commentaries, analysis and rosters for this Iowa vs. USC game.
USC Trojans: Team news
Despite an 8-4 record that was disappointing to many USC fans used to contending for national championships, the Trojans and head coach Clay Helton had a fairly successful regular season despite the extremely difficult early schedule and job rumors surrounding their coach. Following sophomore starter JT Daniels' season-ending injury in the opening game of the season, freshman Kedon Slovis has been a revelation for SC as a fairly unrecruited three-star out of Arizona. Combined with one of the best wide receiving corps in the nation with Michael Pittman Jr., Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyler Vaughns, Velus Jones, and Drake London, Slovis has had a litany of offensive weapons to throw to in offensive coordinator Graham Harrell's new pass-first Air Raid system in Los Angeles.
The Trojans have struggled some running the ball behind running back Vavae Malepeai who has battled injuries and defensively injuries have also cost the Trojans, who's best defender Talanoa Hufanga has been in and out this season with injuries.
After new athletic director Mike John announced Helton would return despite hot-seat pressure all season, the Trojans struggled with recruiting in the Early Signing Period, particularly in California, but a strong win in San Diego could get USC back on track for a very strong 2020 with optimistic signs ahead for this very young team.
Iowa Hawkeyes: Team news
Riding a three-game win streak to close the regular season, Kirk Ferentz's Iowa Hawkeyes put together another strong season in the Big Ten West with strong quarterback play from senior starter Nate Stanley and a vaunted defense that has suffocated conference foes all season.
The Hawkeyes' biggest concern in this game will be their ability to move the ball on offense but given their momentum and motivation for this matchup with blue blood traditional power USC and the Trojans' defensive struggles, Iowa should be able to muster some offensive success in SC's backyard in Southern California in San Diego.
What to expect today?
Bowl season has begun to kick into full gear with some major bowl games and intriguing matchups already underway and one of interest is right here in San Diego, California with the number 16 Iowa Hawkeyes facing the 22nd-ranked USC Trojans in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl.
Coming off a sometimes-frustrating 8-4 season and the return of embattled head coach Clay Helton, the Trojans will look to finish 2019 strong and set up a successful 2020 season next year, with a strong freshman quarterback in Kedon Slovis and highly-coveted Air Raid offensive coordinator Graham Harrell returning to Los Angeles as well.
Under Kirk Ferentz, the longest tenured coach in FBS college football, the Hawkeyes have continued to be remarkably consistent and steady behind senior quarterback Nate Stanley. The offense has struggled at times but the defense has been brilliant for the Hawkeyes all year long.
How to watch Iowa vs. USC Live TV and Stream
If you want to watch the game on TV, your options are: FS1 to broadcast. If you want to directly stream it: Fox Sports Live. If you want to watch in on internet, VAVEL USA is your best option!
Kick-off time
The Iowa vs. USC game will be played at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego, California. The kick-off is scheduled at 8 PM ET.
Welcome to VAVEL.com’s coverage of the 2019 Holiday Bowl: Iowa Hawkeyes vs. USC Trojans!
My name is Thomas Cluck and I’ll be your host for this game. We will provide you with all the information on VAVEL.