Outback Bowl 2014 final score: LSU Tigers win defensive battle over Iowa Hawkeyes 21-14
By Josh Hill
New Years Day means a slew of high octane bowl games on the slate, but for those expecting a shootout in the Outback Bowl, an actual football game broke out instead. All season long we saw SEC defenses get shredded in high scoring games against other big name schools, but in the Outback Bowl between the LSU Tigers and the Iowa Hawkeyes, what we saw was a defensive battle that either showed off how good both units were, or how poor the offenses really are.
LSU didn’t really have the year they were expecting to have, but they’ve made the most of it down the stretch and definitely showed what kind of football team they were in the Outback Bowl. Quarterback Anthony Jennings didn’t have a whole lot placed on his shoulders in the game, as his primary job was to simply hand the ball off to Jeremy Hill and watch the Tigers running back rack up over 130 yards on the day.
Hill added touchdown in the second quarter, but Jennings scored the first point on the day on a quarterback scramble that got LSU an early 7-0 lead. Hill’s touchdown in the second quarter expanded the lead to 14-0 but Iowa wasn’t ready to give up at that point. It wasn’t a particularly impressive offensive day for anyone in a Hawkeyes uniform this afternoon, but running back Mark Wesiman was able to break the shutout up with a third quarter touchdown run.
LSU’s running back added another touchdown in the fourth quarter which seemed to seal the deal, but the Hawkeyes struck right back to make it a one score game yet again with under two minutes left to play. But the Tigers ended up escaping with the win and while the defense held up most of the game, Jeremy Hill is the one who can be thanked for this 21-14 Outback Bowl win for LSU.