The game began at 3:20 p.m. EST and was nationally televised by ESPN.
It was sponsored by tax preparation software company TaxSlayer.com,[5] and for sponsorship reasons was officially known as the TaxSlayer Bowl.
The Volunteers took the momentum early, scoring on their first four possessions and leading 28–0 before Iowa managed to reach 70 yards.
Sophomore quarterback and game MVP Joshua Dobbs ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Vols posted their first winning season since going 7–6 in 2009, and earned its first postseason victory since the Phillip Fulmer era, the last being the 2008 Outback Bowl over the Wisconsin Badgers.
[6] Source: [4] Pound sign (#) denotes national championship game.