Getty Nick Fitzgerald and the Mississippi State Bulldogs will meet the Iowa Hawkeyes in the outback Bowl.
The No. 18 Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Iowa Hawkeyes will meet in Tampa on New Year’s Day for the Outback Bowl.
The game is scheduled to start at noon ET and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone, or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
ESPN and ESPN2 are both included in the “Sling Orange” channel bundle. You can sign up for a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
ESPN Platforms
Additionally, you can watch a live stream of the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the ESPN app. You’ll need to log in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can still sign up for one of the above options and then use your Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on the ESPN digital platforms.
2018 Outback Bowl Preview
The Hawkeyes opened the season 6-1 before dropping three straight to Penn State, Purdue, and Northwestern. But they righted the ship their last two times out, demolishing Illinois 63-0 and surviving Nebraska 31-28.
Iowa blew a 15-point fourth quarter lead to the Cornhuskers, but kicker Miguel Recinos nailed a 41-yard field goal as time expired to win it for the Hawkeyes.
He’d missed a 37-yarder earlier in the final quarter.
“I kind of had a feeling after I missed that one that they were going to score again,” Recinos said, according to the Associated Press. “Right after the miss I just reset and just back in it to try and make that kick.”
The New Year’s Day matchup will feature two of the best run defenses in college football. Iowa ranks eighth among FBS teams at 102.8 rushing yards allowed per game. Mississippi State isn’t far behind, surrendering 104.3 yards on the ground per contest, ranking them 10th in the nation.
“Their front four that they have are obviously pretty good,” Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley said, according to The Daily Iowan. “That poses a lot of problems as far as getting the run game going, but I think our offensive line is up to the challenge.”
The junior’s completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 2,638 yards, 23 touchdowns, and nine interceptions on the year.
The Hawkeyes defense will go up against one of the best rushers at quarterback in the nation. Mississippi State signal caller Nick Fitzgerald ranks third among FBS quarterbacks with 1,018 rushing yards. He’s also connected on 52.6 percent of his passes for 1,615 yards, 15 touchdowns, and seven picks.
“He definitely brings another set of challenges to prepare for,” Hawkeyes linebacker Jack Hockaday told The Daily Iowan of the 6’5″, 230-pound quarterback. “You’ve got to prepare for him to run, and when they pass, you’ve got to have eyes back and be ready for him to scramble. It’s definitely a bigger challenge.”
Safety Jake Gervase added: “He’s a physical guy, he’s a downhill runner. The strength of his game is definitely running the football … he’s a guy that’s tough to stop, he’s the engine to their offense.”
Fitzgerald suffered an ankle injury in the Bulldogs’ final game of the 2017 season, but he returned for the squad’s 2018 debut. He’s led them to a 8-4 record.
“When your ankle is facing the direction where it is not supposed to be, that takes a physical and mental toll on the person it happens to,” Mississippi State head coach Jim Moorhead said, according to The Reflector. “I think Nick (Fitzgerald) and our training staff did a great job to fight back and get ready to play. Certainly the things he has been able to accomplish this year on top of that is a credit to him and our training staff.”