BATON ROUGE — Florida finally felt like the Sunshine State on Monday as warmer weather greeted LSU for its second practice here in Orlando as the Tigers continue to prepare for Saturday’s Capital One Bowl contest against Iowa.
The Tigers and Hawkeyes will meet for the first time in football at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Capital One Bowl. The game will be televised to a national audience by ABC.
The Tigers worked out for two hours on Monday under clear skies at Tinker Field. Monday’s workout had the Tigers going out in full pads as LSU continues to put in its game plan for Saturday’s contest.
LSU, winners of six straight, stands at 9-2 overall heading into the Iowa game. The Hawkeyes, co-champions of the Big Ten, have won seven in a row and bring an identical 9-2 mark into the Capital One Bowl.
“We are focused and excited to be here,” senior defensive end Marcus Spears said after Monday’s workout. “We had a good practice today and the team is ready to go out and win one last game for Coach Saban and for the seniors on this year’s team.”
Against Iowa, the Tigers will face a familiar squad, one that plays for four quarters and rarely takes a play off.
“At LSU, we played hard and try to compete for four quarters,” junior defensive tackle Kyle Williams said. “In watching Iowa on film that’s the thing you notice about them. They compete in the game until the very end. When games are going down to the wire and down the stretch, they have won by just out competing their opponent.”
Following Monday’s workout, the Tigers were scheduled to visit Universal Studios. Other events planned for the week have LSU participating in the Capital One Bowl Kids Day on Tuesday afternoon followed by a visit to Sea World on Wednesday.