Five Things to Know About Kentucky's Music City Bowl Matchup Against Iowa
Kentucky football is after its fifth consecutive postseason win this weekend.
On New Year's Eve, the 7-5 Wildcats will take on the 7-5 Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2022 Music City Bowl in Nashville's Nissan Stadium, with kickoff set for noon EST.
The game will be a rematch of the 2021 Citrus Bowl, which saw Kentucky come out on top 20-17 thanks to a late fourth-quarter score. UK head coach Mark Stoops is an Iowa alum and will once again face-off against 24th-year skipper Kirk Ferentz, the active longest-tenured HC in college football.
Here are five things you need to know about the Music City Bowl Matchup:
1. The Hawkeyes are also offensively inept
Don't expect a high scoring game come Dec. 31.
Iowa is one of the few teams in college football who's scoring offense is worse than Kentucky's. The Hawkeyes averaged just 17.9 points-per-game this season, the 10th-worst mark in FBS.
In 12 games, Iowa eclipsed 30 points just once, where it scored 33 against a bad Northwestern team. The Hawkeyes scored a combined 10 points in their first two games of the season and averaged 10.8 PPG in their five losses.
Third-year starting quarterback Spencer Petras threw for just 1,725 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He managed to throw for more than 200 yards in only three games, while also have three games with under 100 yards through the air.
It's a two-man rushing attack in Iowa City, though one has emerged as the feature back.
Sophomore Leshon Williams opened the season taking most of the carries, but has amassed just 410 yards and two scores on 114 attempts. Over the course of the year, freshman tailback Kaleb Johnson tallied more carries, taking 142 attempts for 762 yards and six touchdowns.
Tight end Sam LaPorta leads the team with 53 receptions for 601 yards and a touchdown. After suffering an injury late in the season, LaPorta will play against the Wildcats. More on the veteran tight end here.
If you're a fan of defense, get ready for a good one!
2. Spencer Petras will NOT play, Iowa will start third-string QB Joe Labas
Will Levis will not play for Kentucky, but Iowa will certainly not have its starting QB, as Petras suffered an arm injury against Nebraska:
"The injury he had in the Nebraska ball game was significant enough to require surgery," Ferentz said. "So he's not going to be able to compete. Nobody's more disappointed than him, obviously. Like any player that has an injury that requires surgery, it just takes 'em out of competition. It's good that he'll be with us, but all of us wish he wasn't on sideline supporting the team. But that is the one thing I have to report right now."
Additionally, backup QB Alex Padilla has since entered the transfer portal, meaning the Hawkeyes will be down to a third-stringer on New Year's Eve. Redshirt freshman Joe Labas beat out true freshman Carson May for the gig, and will see his first bit of collegiate action in Nashville.
More on Labas and what he brings to the table for the Hawkeyes here.
3. It's all about the defense in Iowa City
Like Kentucky, defense is the backbone of the Iowa football program.
This season has been no different, as the Hawkeyes allowed just 14.4 PPG, making them No. 4 in the nation in total defense.
Senior linebacker Jack Campbell is the standout, as he's acquired 115 tackles (51 solo) and two interceptions. Iowa racked up 13 picks in 12 games, led by a whopping four from Cooper DeJean, who also added a team-best six pass deflections.
On the defensive line, Iowa managed 30 sacks, the 35th-best mark in the country. Three Hawkeyes (Deontae Craig, Joe Evans, Lukas Van Ness) have wrangled six sacks in 2022.
The competition in the Big Ten offensively doesn't stack up to the SEC, but Iowa has nothing but stout when coming up against teams not named Michigan or Ohio State.
Kentucky won't have an easy time finding the end zone against a full-strength Iowa defense.
4. There will be plenty of youth playing at Nissan Stadium
Whether its due to opt-outs, injuries or the transfer portal, neither team will be particularly close to full-strength come Dec. 31.
Ferentz had this to say after the bowl matchup was announced:
"For the younger guys, it's significant from that standpoint as well as just it's an opportunity to continue to develop, and these are really important opportunities for all the players that haven't played a lot or even guys that have played that are younger to continue to move forward as players. And really the way you learn how to play football, there are a lot of different things that go into it, but the most important part is you have to go out and do it and practice it."
Stoops has of course echoed the sentiment, as a whopping 23 freshmen (RS or true) were featured on the Wildcats' depth chart.
Depth chart can be found here.
A look at the future for both the Cats and the Hawkeyes.
5. Time conflict for the Wildcats
When it came right down to it, Kentucky was okay with having the time conflict with UK men's basketball, which is set to take on Louisville at the exact same time come New Year's Eve:
So, you'll have the choice of either watching some hoops inside Rupp Arena against the Cardinals, or tuning it for what could be the football team's fifth-consecutive bowl victory. If you want to make the short trip to Nashville, it'll come at the cost of missing the rivalry matchup.
It should be known that bowl rematches do not happen very often at all, so the Cats seem to be a-okay with the potential split-viewership.
Click on the 'here' links below for more Music City Bowl pre-game coverage:
Iowa's star tight end is also its emergency quarterback this weekend. More here.
Kentucky linebacker Jacquez Jones is ready to lay it all on the line in his final game as a Wildcat. More on the super senior here.
Kentucky's Music City Bowl Depth Chart can be found here.
Kentucky's transfer portal tracker can be found here.
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.
