Iowa football team completes pre-bowl practice No. 2

Dec. 6, 2008

2008-09 University of Iowa Bowl Game Ticket Application (v3)

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The last time University of Iowa football fans saw sophomore cornerback Amari Spievey, he was busy making four solo tackles and returning a pass interception 57 yards for a touchdown during a 55-0 rout at Minnesota on Nov. 22.

On Saturday — about 30 minutes before practice began — Spievey could be found in The Bubble, stretching alone in front of three large, circular heating vents.

“I want to go to the best possible bowl, but wherever we go is good enough for me,” Spievey said. “I’m just happy to be at a bowl this year.”

Spievey finished the regular season with 65 tackles (41 solo, 24 assists) and four pass interceptions for a team-high 127 return yards. His interception return for a touchdown with 27 seconds left before halftime gave the Hawkeyes an insurmountable 27-0 cushion at intermission over Minnesota. Spievey didn’t know if his highlight was a victory-clincher.

“At the time, no,” he said. “It didn’t really matter because we were going to keep pounding them.”

The Iowa team has nothing special planned tomorrow, the day its bowl fate will be finalized.

“I’m just coming to practice,” Spievey said. “Coach said whenever he finds out, he’s going to tell us.”

The Hawkeyes participated in Day 2 of their pre-bowl practices Saturday, but once again it was `Iowa vs. Iowa,’ with no attention or schemes being prepared for any potential bowl opponent.

With Speivey huddled in front of the blowing heat, it seemed a slam dunk that he is excited for practice in a warm environment.

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Yeah, I want to go some place warm.”

To view a photo gallery from Saturday’s practice — available exclusively on hawkeyesports.com, CLICK HERE.