The last time Iowa played against Tennessee was on Jan. 2, 2015, in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: a contest that would serve as the climax of a season of disappointment, but also a final transition to a year of dominance. 

Nearly nine years later, the Hawkeyes will again face the Volunteers in a January bowl game down in Florida. The return to the Sunshine State doesn’t come without clouds, as plenty of questions linger above the team, especially head coach Kirk Ferentz. Looking to return to the helm for his 25th season, Ferentz seeks a similar rebound from 2014-15. 

While the Hawkeyes went 12-0 in the 2015 season to finish atop the Big Ten West division, their first game of that calendar year hardly resembled what followed months later. 

Heading into their matchup with the Volunteers, the Hawkeyes were a 7-5 team, ranking fourth in the Big Ten West with a 4-4 conference mark. On Nov. 2 of that season, Iowa was tied with eventual Big Ten Champion Wisconsin with a 3-1 conference record, having most recently throttled Northwestern, 48-7, at Kinnick Stadium. 

That triumph over the Wildcats was the Hawkeyes’ best win of the season by point differential, but also the apex prior to a steep collapse. Losing three of its next four games, Iowa no longer found itself competing for a conference title, but rather bowl hardware against a young .500 Tennessee squad looking for its first bowl victory since 2008, having not won seven games in a season since 2009. 

The Volunteers looked like they had plenty of postseason experience against the Hawkeyes in the 45-28 win. Before scoring three touchdowns in the final minutes, Iowa was down 42-7 heading into the fourth quarter. 

“It wasn’t satisfying,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said of the Hawkeyes’ season after that bowl game. “We lost four close games, and today we were behind quickly … If we’re going to be successful, we have to do well in close games. First thing we have to do is make them close.”

Then in his 16th year at the helm, Ferentz was due a $529,000 longevity bonus at the end of the month, according to sports business analyst Darren Rovell, then working with CNBC. 

For fans and media members such as Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells, such a financial commitment might not have been such a wise idea at the time. 

“Even though Ferentz has been a popular figure in Iowa, it’s hard to justify what he’s getting paid given the mediocre results in recent years,” he wrote following the Tennessee game, noting that the Hawkeyes had only won two games against bowl-eligible teams that season. 

“Iowa’s future continues to look murky. Ferentz keeps taking backward steps with the program, and the result is like what happened against Tennessee,” he continued. “The offense has been flat all year, and the defense gets exhausted because it’s asked to compensate.” 

As Iowa again takes on Tennessee in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day, Wells’ words read as an uncanny foreshadowing of the Hawkeyes’ 2023 season. Ranking 84th in the FBS in terms of yards per game in 2014, Iowa was even worse in that category this season, slotting in at 130th. “Flat” would most certainly be an understatement. 

Against top-10 opponents Penn State and Michigan this season, the Hawkeyes were shut out, mustering just 19 total first downs and never taking a snap in the red zone. While Iowa thrived in close games in 2023, winning five contests by a touchdown or less, it couldn’t stay competitive in matchups against Michigan and Penn State. They were outscored 57-0 against those squads, while only holding the ball for 38:01 to their opponents’ 81:59.

Limiting Michigan to a season-low 213 total yards, 12 first downs, and a 3-of-15 conversion rate on third down in the Dec. 2 Big Ten championship game, Iowa’s defense more than held its own against a top-five scoring offense in the country. 

While linebacker Nick Jackson dropped a would-be interception during that game, the defensive unit could only provide so much in the way of momentum and field position. 

When asked after the conference title game whether the defense’s performance was at a “championship level,” Hawkeye defensive back Sebastian Castro agreed, adding that any generated turnovers would only be “extra” compensation. 

Back in 2014, Iowa defenders shared a similar sentiment. Senior linebacker Quinton Alston had eight tackles and a sack in the regular-season finale against Nebraska, but his efforts were not enough for Iowa, which blew a 24-7 lead midway through the third quarter to fall, 37-34, in overtime at Kinnick Stadium. 

“It’s definitely not the way I want to go out,” he said following that game. “I feel like I gave everything I have today. It stings a little bit, man.”

The third and most important part of Wells’ analysis dealt with the future of the program and Ferentz’s potential longevity: subjects that could also be described as “murky” today. 

The 2014 Hawkeye team lost four starters on its defense, including Alston and fellow second-team All-Big Ten members Carl Davis and Louis Trinca-Pasat. This year, Iowa could potentially lose seven starters in coordinator Phil Parker’s unit, depending on whether they choose to use an extra year of eligibility. 

While Alston’s production was easily replaced with current Denver Broncos’ linebacker Josey Jewell’s 126 tackles the following season, Iowa’s transition at linebacker may not be as smooth this year. Current starter Jay Higgins, who produced 155 tackles in 13 games this season, has not committed on whether he will return to Iowa City. 

Should he choose to depart, the Hawkeyes will lose both their starters at linebacker. Left to fill that void is Kyler Fisher, who could also choose to leave after the bowl game, and redshirt sophomore Jaden Harrell, who has one career tackle. 

Iowa’s quarterback situation in 2014 heading into the bowl game was also a glaring question mark. Heading into  the bowl game against Tennessee,  Ferentz remarked  on his weekly radio show that second-year C.J. Beathard could make his second career start, adding that the position would be “open for discussion and more importantly open to competition.” 

That potential for competition worked itself out during the offseason when starter Jake Rudock transferred to Michigan. Beathard then threw for 2,809 yards across 14 games in 2015, earning offensive team MVP honors. 

Heading into the Citrus Bowl, Iowa starting quarterback Deacon Hill has completed less than 50 percent of his passes and has thrown six interceptions compared to five touchdowns. Ferentz has confirmed throughout the season that Hill is still “the clear No. 1” and said last week Hill will remain under center against the Volunteers. 

Hill’s underwhelming performance in 2023 could very much be forgotten next season when Michigan transfer Cade McNamara returns from his season-ending ACL tear. That injury was one of several for McNamara over the past two years, as the quarterback suffered a season-ending right knee injury in 2022 for the Wolverines, then missed two weeks of fall camp with the Hawkeyes due to a quad injury. How effectively McNamara recovers will be crucial for Iowa’s offense to rebound in 2024. 

Leading that offensive revival won’t be current offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, who was told in October by interim athletic director Beth Goetz that he would not return to the team next season. When asked about the decision to fire his son, Kirk Ferentz made it a point to say the team’s policy had always been to evaluate players and coaching staff during the offseason but added that he respected the “chain of command” of Goetz being his son’s boss due to state nepotism laws. 

Ferentz, in that same press conference, opened up the possibility of retirement by saying he was strictly focused on the 2023 season but issued a statement amending his comments the following day.

“While my immediate focus is on finishing the season strong, I love coaching and my intent is to continue coaching at the University of Iowa,” the statement read. “We have built something very special here, and I plan to coach until I am no longer passionate about the game, players, or coaches.” 

Yet following the Gator Bowl, Kirk Ferentz’s situation didn’t center on whether he would choose to return, but whether he would be fired after not posting a nine-win regular season over the past five years. He was even asked about being on the hot seat in his post-game press conference. 

“I think what I need to do is to take the energy I put into the job and put it towards our improvement. That’s what I’ve been trying to do for the past 16 years,” the head coach said at the time. 

Applying that statement to 2024, such an effort could include further transfer portal acquisitions, an outside hire at offensive coordinator, or even a complete overhaul of the offensive system. In his postgame press conference in Indianapolis, Kirk Ferentz said he would “go back to the drawing board” to evaluate the future of the offense and find a new offensive coordinator for the first time since 2017. 

What results from those deliberations might not be present against Tennessee, but the bowl game will be yet another end of an era. What follows in 2024 will be anyone’s guess, but that future lies in the hands of Kirk Ferentz.