Jacksonville, FL (SportsNetwork. Will Clapp Jersey .com) - These days just breaking even can be good enough to earn a bowl bid. The Tennessee Volunteers found that out firsthand, as they will clash with the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl on Friday afternoon. Tennessee (6-6) was a model of inconsistency throughout the regular season, winning back-to-back outings only twice, taking down Utah State and Arkansas State in non-conference play to kick off the campaign and then later in the schedule with triumphs over South Carolina and Kentucky, with a bye week in between. The program was a mere 3-5 in conference play and finished tied for fourth place in the Eastern Division of the SEC with the Gamecocks. The Vols needed a win in the regular-season finale versus Vanderbilt just to become bowl eligible and played just well enough to squeeze out a 24-14 victory in the meeting at the end of November. It means everything, Vols quarterback Joshua Dobbs said of becoming bowl eligible. That was our goal coming into this season. We wanted to get to a bowl game and get our seniors to a bowl game and then progress from there. This is a stepping-stone to this program and its definitely an exciting time to be here. Im excited to be going to a bowl game. As for the Hawkeyes, they too had to buckle down and play tough in order for a postseason opportunity to become available. Perhaps most disappointing for Iowa is the fact that the team started off the campaign 5-1, with the lone loss being a 20-17 setback to rival Iowa State, and then limped to the finish. Iowa dropped consecutive games against Wisconsin and Nebraska to close out the regular season, but still earned an invitation to the postseason after placing fourth in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference with a record of 4-4. Iowa, which lost to Florida in the 1983 Gator Bowl, 14-6, is back in the postseason for the second straight year and playing in the Sunshine State yet again, which is good news for native son and starting corner Greg Mabin. It is always nice to be back in Florida, says Mabin. It (Jacksonville) is not quite home, but it is close enough. The weather sure is nice. Family and friends from all over are trying to come to the game. Mabin and Co. are hoping for better results this time around though, having lost two straight bowl games, including last years Outback Bowl versus LSU (21-14). Iowa is now 14-12-1 dating back to the 1957 Rose Bowl, where it defeated Oregon State, 35-19. Over on the other side, Tennessees bowl roots reach back to the 1939 Orange Bowl and a 17-0 defeat of Oklahoma. However, the Vols dropped a 30-27 decision to North Carolina in double-overtime in the 2010 Music City Bowl, which means the program is now just a single game over .500 (25-24) in bowl competition. The series between these two teams is knotted at one game apiece, the most recent battle taking place in New Jersey in the 1987 Kickoff Classic where the Vols slipped by with a 23-22 triumph. The first encounter pitted the programs in the 1982 Peach Bowl, with the Hawkeyes capturing a 28-22 win. The Iowa defense again led the charge this season, ranking 18th in the country in yards allowed (334.5 ypg) and eighth in the number of passing yards surrendered (175.8 ypg), helping the program limit foes to 24.0 ppg, a number that would have been considerably lower if not for the fact that the group surrendered a combined 89 points to Maryland and Minnesota in a span of just three weeks. John Lowdermilk led the charge with 95 tackles, adding a team-best three interceptions -- one returned for a touchdowns -- and a couple of forced fumbles to his stat line, while Drew Ott made 12 of his 55 stops behind the line of scrimmage and also led the program with eight sacks. Louis Trinca- Pasat, who registered the lone safety for the squad, logged 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks of his own. Another strength for Iowa this season was the teams disciplined play which resulted in a mere 3.5 penalties per contest, tied for second-fewest in the nation, resulting in only 28.9 ypg assessed against the Hawkeyes, also second in the FBS. On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Jake Rudock kept the unit moving with his 62.6 percent accuracy and 218.5 ypg through the air. He accounted for 16 touchdowns and just five interceptions, minimizing mistakes in order to get Iowa into a bowl game. Rudock spread the ball around quite well, as 10 players caught a TD pass from either him or C.J. Beathard. Mark Weisman was the main contributor on the ground with his 802 yards and 14 touchdowns, but he averaged just 3.9 yards per attempt, which just happened to be the teams overall average for the campaign. Aiming to stop Weisman and the rest of the Hawkeyes will be Derek Barnett and Curt Maggitt for the Tennessee defense. Barnett started nine of 12 games for the Volunteers and still saw enough time on the field to lead the program with a staggering 20.5 tackles for loss. His 10 sacks was second only to Maggitt who registered 11 sacks and 14.0 TFL on 43 total stops. Also making a significant impact for the Tennessee defense was Justin Coleman, who not only made 41 tackles, he also led the way with four interceptions. Cameron Sutton and Todd Kelly Jr. each added three picks of their own, the former pacing the program with 14 passes defended and 11 pass breakups. At the top of the tackles list for Tennessee was A.J. Johnson with his 101 takedowns, nine of those being for negative yardage, while adding two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. Justin Worley began the season as the starting quarterback for the Vols, but a shoulder injury put him on the shelf and opened the door for Dobbs who ended up converting 61.5 percent of his passes for eight TDs and five INTs. Dobbs also provided the program with an added run option with his 393 yards and team-best six TDs on the ground. Jalen Hurd led the way in the running department with 777 net yards on 174 attempts, but he made it into the end zone just three times. Hurd was also second in receptions with 33 for 217 yards and two scores, trailing only Alton Howard who turned 52 receptions into 589 yards and a single TD. Unfortunately, the Tennessee offense is one that struggled quite a bit, producing only 363.0 ypg to rank 100th in the nation heading into this week. The rushing attack was also 100th as it averaged 135.0 ypg, but at least the team could be proud of a red-zone offense that scored 91.8 percent of the time, eighth-best nationally. Cameron Jordan Jersey . The incident occurred at 6:28 of the first period in Anaheims 6-3 home win over Dallas on Sunday. Garbutt left the penalty box and skated at Penner before leaving his skates to deliver a check. Morten Andersen Jersey . Clevelands manager had just watched his team lose 5-3 to Kansas City, which completed a 2-6 homestand and dropped the Indians 2 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central. http://www.cheapsaintsjerseyssale.com/?tag=alex-okafor-jersey-sale . Joining him in this years class were Switzerlands Patrick Huerlimann and Norways Eigil Ramsfjell. The announcement was made at the world mens curling championship at Capital Indoor Stadium in China.DUNEDIN, Florida – If Jose Bautista ends the season on the baseball field, itll mark the first time since 2011 but the Blue Jays slugger bristles at the suggestion he isnt a durable ballplayer. "Its not because I was neglecting my training regime or anything like that," Bautista said of his injuries. "It is disappointing and it is upsetting that I dont get to go out there and finish the season with the team and finish strong. Thats been the case in the last two years so hopefully it doesnt happen again." Bautista tore the tendon sheath in his wrist while taking a swing in a game at Yankee Stadium on July 16, 2012. The injury essentially cost him the remainder of the season, save for five plate appearances over two games in late August. Last year, Bautista jammed his hip while running the bases in July. He played with pain for about a month and then removed himself from a game at Yankee Stadium on August 20. He wouldnt set foot on the field for the rest of the year. Bautista continues to hit home runs at a prodigious pace. He went deep on 6.2 per cent of his at-bats in 2013, a trend that has steadily declined since his career-high 54 home run breakout season in 2010 (8.4 per cent in 2011, 8.1 per cent in 2012) when he rounded the bases in 9.5 per cent of his at-bats. Considering he was recovering from serious wrist surgery, a body part that when injured can sap sluggers of their power, his numbers remain impressive. The 33-year-old describes as "great" his just-getting-to-know-you relationship with new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. The two have spoken briefly in Dunedin and had a couple of phone conversations during the offseason. Broadly put, Seitzers modus operandi is to encourage his hitters to use the entire field. Bautista is among a number of Jays, Edwin Encarnacion and Colby Rasmus included, who are almost dead pull hitters. "You just watch the way they throw the shift on him," said manager John Gibbons. "They leave some big holes (on the right side) for him. There are some cheap RBIs that way. I mean, the way I look at it, you get 500 at-bats in a season and say you hit 50 home runs, which is an unbelievable year. Thats still a lot of at-bats without home runs. If youre more of a complete hitter and youll take some hits (to the right side) to get a rally going or drive in a big run or something, that can only help." Leadership and its role on a baseball team continue to be topics of debate among those who follow the game closely. The consensus amongst players is that winning breeds camaraderie, something directly reflected in the success of last years world champion Boston Red Sox. The Jays buried themselves with a 10-17 April last season, injuries mounted and not even an 11-game winning streak in June could salvage the year. As a result, the clubhouse, while it didnt have any crippling divisions, wasnt a tight-knit unit. Players on winning teams, with something to play for, may be more willing to push a single through the opposite side to score a run instead of being concerned primarily with their own stats. "I think if everybody does as well as theyre capable of doing, with some leadership – and hopefully I get to help out in that area – I think we can be a much better team than we were last year and a closer team than we showed last year that we were," said Bautista. The slugger doesnt share fans angst over Torontos relatively quiet offseason. "Not at all," said BBautista. Cheap Saints Jerseys Free Shipping. "I think we have a good group of guys. Were very competitive. Were really talented and I think if we remain healthy and everybody plays up to their capabilities, nobody needs to go do anything outstanding or hit 60 home runs or have a sub-1.00 ERA, we just need to play up to our capabilities." Pitching Depth The Blue Jays announced on Friday theyve claimed RHP Liam Hendriks off waivers from Baltimore. To make room for Hendriks on the 40-man roster, the team designated infielder Brent Morel for assignment. Hendriks, 25, was born and raised in Perth, Australia. Hes struggled in limited big league action over three seasons, all with Minnesota, compiling a record of 2-13, an ERA of 6.06 and a WHIP of 1.590. Morel is a former third round pick of the White Sox, selected off waivers from Chicago on December 23. A right-handed bat, there was thought that Morel would compete for a job off the bench. Understanding the Business Reliever Neil Wagner, 30, is caught in the middle of a numbers game and he knows it. "Taken in the 21st round in the middle of nowhere, youre forced to prove yourself and thats how Ive done it my whole career," said Wagner. "I plan on doing that in camp as well." The Blue Jays will consider going with an eight-man bullpen out of camp but that still wont guarantee Wagner a big league job. Casey Janssen, Sergio Santos, Brett Cecil, Aaron Loup and Steve Delabar are guaranteed spots. Dustin McGowan will be stretched out this spring but it seems more likely he will be a reliever. Wagner has an option remaining, whereas Jeremy Jeffress, Esmil Rogers and Todd Redmond do not, which doesnt bode well for his chances to make the team. "They havent told me anything," said Wagner. "Im expecting that Ill be here until Im not. I plan on going out and pitching well and pitching my way onto the team and if things dont work out that way, then Ill go down to Buffalo and do the same thing." Wagner has a live arm, his fastball routinely clocking in the mid to high 90s and can touch 100 miles per hour. He allowed only one run, earned, in his first 12 appearances with the Blue Jays last season. He ended the season with a 3.79 ERA over 36 appearances, striking out 7.8 batters over nine innings while walking 3.1 hitters per nine innings. He had a 1.368 WHIP over what, to this point, was his longest stint in the majors. "I feel like I proved that I can pitch at the big league level but in this game, nothing is given to you, nothings owed to you, so anything could happen at any time and Im perfectly okay with that." Nickeas Cant Lose Catcher Mike Nickeas kept an eye on the Canada-USA semi-final hockey game in Sochi. "Im a winner today, either way," he joked in passing. Nickeas was born in Vancouver in 1983, while his father, whos English, was playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps of the now-defunct North American Soccer League. His mother is American and Nickeas grew up in California, which explains his allegiances to both sides. Guess is hell be cheering for Canada in Sundays gold medal game against Sweden. Gibbons Talks Haircuts Manager John Gibbons, himself sporting a new, shorter haircut this spring, didnt appreciate my efforts to update my do. "It looks like a ducks ass," Gibbons joked before starting his daily scrum with the media. Well, I cant change the haircut now. My pride wont allow it. 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