This is been a season of near misses for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and every time you look at that 8-4 record, you still can’t help but think how much better 2018 could have been,

Iowa’s four losses — to Wisconsin, Penn State, Purdue and Northwestern — were basically one-score games that were determined in the final minutes of all four games. The bitter memories are still fresh for the Hawkeyes, but let’s remember one more time:

  • They had a late lead against Wisconsin, but lost that with 57 seconds to go on an Alex Hornibrook touchdown pass.
  • Nate Stanley threw an interception against Penn State on a first-and-goal play with with 3:18 to go, trailing by six points.
  • They had a lead against Purdue that was erased with a field goal at the buzzer in a 38-36 loss.
  • Iowa had a fourth-quarter lead against Big Ten West champion Northwestern, but lost it on a touchdown with 9:26 to go. They then fumbled the ball away on two separate occasions in the final fix minutes.

So close, yet so far away.

So now comes the bowl game, a Jan. 1 meeting with Mississippi State in the Outback Bowl in Tampa. And once again, this one should be close, too.

This is the best of all bowl-game matchups to showcase standout defenses, so a tight low-scoring game should be expected. Mississippi State is No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense at 12.0 points per game. The Hawkeyes are 11th overall, and first in the Big Ten at 17.4.

The Bulldogs are third nationally and first in the SEC in yards allowed per game (268.4). Iowa is second in the Big Ten and seventh overall at 289.6. Mississippi State was first in the SEC in passing defense (164.2), while Iowa was not far behind (186.8).

“I do know they have had an outstanding season, and they are outstanding on defense,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of Mississippi State. “You can just look at statistics and see that right off the bat, but we’ll learn more about them as we go along. We know we have got a big challenge, and we’ll go from there.”

Iowa’s offense has been a little hit and miss all season, so this is a golden opportunity to do something special on a national stage. Veteran quarterback Nate Stanley has had his moments, and the running game really got going in the last two games of the season behind Mekhi Sargent.

So there is hope that they can have some success in the Outback Bowl.

“This is a huge opportunity to show who we are,” Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley said. “Really just excited to play against a team like that. You always talk about playing great competition to see how good you are. Just really excited to start preparing for them and get out on the field.”

“As a competitor, I think it’s something that I’m looking forward to and I think this team is looking forward to is playing guys that are like NFL-caliber,” Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson said. “We’re just looking forward to the opportunity, and we’ll see what we can do.”

Mississippi State’s defense is led by 300-pound nose guard Jeffery Simmons, who had 14.5 tackles for loss and led all SEC defensive linemen with 59 tackles. Their defensive front sets the tone for the entire defense.

“Throughout the season you’ve heard about their defense, and I know they’ve got a couple of good guys up front, too, which is awesome for our O-line to have the opportunity to go up against them,” Iowa senior center Keegan Render said. “Their reputation obviously is good. Really good defense, really good athletes, and they play in a really tough conference. It’s going to be a good opportunity. I think we’re going to be excited and anxious to see how we measure up a little bit.”

Making plays is going to be huge. The running game will be important, and Stewart’s success lately is a good sign. He had 121 yards against Illinois and 173 yards against Nebraska — his first two 100-yard games of the season — and he averaged 6.8 yards per carry in those two games.

That’s the challenge ahead.

And these Hawkeyes, they like challenges.