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Mississippi State Football: 3 reasons to watch 2019 Outback Bowl vs. Iowa

By Luke Feliciano

STARKVILLE, MS - NOVEMBER 17: Nick Fitzgerald #7 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs huddles with the team before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Davis Wade Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - NOVEMBER 17: Nick Fitzgerald #7 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs huddles with the team before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Davis Wade Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 06: Julian Huff #20 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers pushes Noah Fant #87 of the Iowa Hawkeyes out of bounds during the second quarter of the game on October 6, 2018 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 06: Julian Huff #20 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers pushes Noah Fant #87 of the Iowa Hawkeyes out of bounds during the second quarter of the game on October 6, 2018 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

2. Iowa’ use of tight ends

The Big Ten always seems to supply a heavy dose of NFL-caliber tight ends. Iowa is no exception to this as the Hawkeyes have not just one, but two tight ends that pose a threat to opposing secondaries.

There is an intriguing appeal when it comes to tight ends that are capable of both blocking and receiving –– it opens up a new dimension to the passing game.

For Iowa, the pass-catching abilities of its tight end tandem have resulted in 50 percent of Stanley’s touchdown passes.

Iowa’s receiving corps is headlined by tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant. Hockenson is the Hawkeyes’ leader in receptions (46) and Fant doesn’t trail too far behind with 39 receptions.

In totality, the two tight ends have infused the Iowa passing attack with a combined 1,235 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.

For all intents and purposes, these are not trivial numbers when it comes to the majority of college football tight ends. In fact, the figures are both shocking and telling how Iowa utilizes the pass to charge its offense.

Hockenson, a redshirt sophomore, earned an honorable mention to the Big Ten Conference All-Freshman team a season ago. There are already rumblings to his potential status as a draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Fant, who is also creating buzz for next year’s NFL Draft, made the decision to sit out of the Outback Bowl in order to prepare for the draft.

Even though Fant will not play for Iowa in this game, Stanley still has his top receiver from a receptions standpoint in Hockenson, who ranks second on the team behind Fant with six touchdown receptions.

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