Arguably the strength for Kentucky however comes on defense, where the Wildcats rank No. 11 nationally with an average of only 19. 1 PPG allowed. Leading the Wildcats on that side of the ball are names such as D’Eryk Jackson, Jordan Wright, J. J. Weaver, Jordan Lovett, Trevin Wallace, and more. Iowa on the other hand is coming off a 7-5 regular season, one that included a 5-4 mark in Big Ten play. After a 3-4 start to the year, the Hawkeyes have however won four of their last five games, with the lone loss having come in the regular season finale to Nebraska, 24-17. The Hawkeyes rank No. 123 nationally by averaging only 17. 4 PPG, and are led by quarterback Spencer Petras. Iowa’s top two running backs are Kaleb Johnson and Leshon Williams, while the trio of Sam Laporta, Nico Ragaini, and Luke Lachey are the top receivers, each of which have 300+ yards apiece.
2 ypc). Kavoisey Smoke was also an effective option at RB for Kentucky, picking up 416 yards and 4 TD on 81 carries (5. 1 ypc). Iowa's ability to slow down the Kentucky running game, behind a very solid offensive line, will be one of the bigger battles in this game. Iowa's run defense has been good overall this year (114 ypg, 13th nationally), but they've been breached at times this year -- both Wisconsin and Minnesota ran for 170-180 yards on Iowa, albeit on around 50 carries each, while Michigan absolutely gashed Iowa to shreds in the Big Ten Championship Game (211 yards and 4 TD on 34 carries, 6. 2 ypc).
Music City Bowl: Iowa vs Kentucky Game ThreadThe 2022 football season is set to come to a close for the Iowa Hawkeyes as they prepare to take on the Kentucky Wildcats in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s a rematch of last year’s Vrbo Citrus Bowl, but this one is set to feature a slew of new names and faces as both the Hawkeyes and Wildcats come into the day with myriad injuries, opt outs and transfers. Both teams also enter the day reeling a bit. For Iowa, the worst power five offense in the nation finally cost the Hawkeyes as they fell in the regular season finale 24-17 to the Nebraska Cornhuskers to lose the Big Ten West.
6 ypp). They had a balanced attack as well, passing for 224 ypg and running for 206 ypg. The leader of Kentucky's offense is a familiar face to Iowa fans -- QB Will Levis played at Penn State before transferring to Kentucky, where his game has flourished. Levis was solid as a passer, throwing for 2579 yards (on 67% completion rate) and 23 touchdowns, though he did throw 12 interceptions. But he's also a true dual threat as well, very capable of hurting teams in the running game as well; he was 3rd on the team in rushing yards (387 yards, 4.
5), is "unlikely to play" in this game, per comments from Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops yesterday. Given the Iowa offensive line's struggles against pass rushers this season, that absence would be welcome. That said, OLB JJ Weaver has a team-high 6 sacks this year (and 10 TFL), so there will still be some dangerous players near the line of scrimmage for the Wildcats in this game. On offense, Kentucky ranked 42nd in the nation in total offense (430 ypg) and 16th in yards per play (6.
Levis' favorite target is another familiar face to Iowa fans -- former Nebraska RB/WR Wan'Dale Robinson, who had a staggering 94 receptions for 1178 yards and 7 TD this season. He had at least eight receptions in seven games this year, went over 100 yards receiving five times this season, and twice had 10 pr more receptions in a game.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, emerged victorious in their season finale against in-state rival Louisville, but enter the day losers of three of their final five games, including two of their last three. So which bunch will show up with more energy and enthusiasm for this launchpad into the 2023 season? Can Iowa get something going offensively with third string QB Joey Labas? Can the Hawkeye defense again prove their dominance despite the opt out of Kaevon Merriweather and departure of Terry Roberts? Or will it be the Kentucky Wildcats, riding a backup QB and third string RB who move the ball and put points on the board? We’re about to find out as the Hawkeyes and Wildcats kick off in Nashville! Here’s one last reminder on the details for today’s game: Date: Saturday, December 31stTime: 11:00 am CTMatchup: Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5, 5-4) vs Kentucky Wildcats (7-5, 3-5)Location: Nissan Stadium - Nashville, TNTV: ABCWeather Forecast: cloudy with temps in the upper 50s, 60% chance of rain fading as the day progressesDraftKings Sportsbook Line: Iowa -2.
As for this year’s meeting, Kentucky is coming off a regular season that included a 7-5 overall record, as well as a 3-5 mark in SEC play. The Wildcats did however struggle toward the end of the season by dropping two of their last three games against Vanderbilt and Georgia, but did defeat rival Louisville, 26-13, in the regular season finale. The Wildcats offense, which ranks No. 105 nationally with an average of 22. 1 PPG, will be without starting quarterback Will Levis in this contest, with the lone other player at the position who has seen time this season being Kaiya Sheron. Kentucky’s top offensive playmaker is running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., while the top receivers are the trio of Barion Brown, Dane Key, and Tayvion Robinson.
Similar to Kentucky, the defensive side of the ball is also the strength for Iowa, with the Hawkeyes ranking No. 6 nationally by allowing only 14. 4 PPG to opponents. Joe Evans, Deontae Craig, and Lukas Van Ness are all key pass rushers for the Hawkeyes, with the Iowa defense also led in tackles by names such as Jack Campbell and Seth Benson. Kentucky vs Iowa 2022 Music City Bowl PredictionTwo teams with stout defenses, this game will likely be close, as well as low scoring similar to last season.
) But they've also been very good at limiting red zone opportunities, allowing just 35 trips inside their own 20 this year (17th best, nationally). The Iowa offense has made 44 trips inside the red zone this year, which ranks 81st this year. So red zone appearances could be at a premium for Iowa in this game, which will put pressure on them to maximize their opportunities when they do arise. That obviously hasn't been a strength for Iowa this season, given their 73% scoring rate in the red zone (121st) and their 41% TD rate in the red zone (128th). One piece of good news for Iowa's offense? Kentucky defensive end Josh Paschal, who was 2nd in the SEC in tackles for loss this season (15.
Iowa vs. Kentucky in Music City Bowl: TV channel, live stream
Kentucky Wildcats Football Follow Team - SportSpyder
Where To Watch Iowa vs. Kentucky in The Music City Bowl
#15 IOWA HAWKEYES VS #22 KENTUCKY WILDCATS: TV INFO, RADIO, STREAMING, POINT SPREAD© Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK WHO: #22 Kentucky Wildcats (9-3, 5-3 Big Ten)WHEN: 12:00 PM CT (Saturday, January 1)WHERE: Camping World Stadium (Orlando, FL)TV: ABC (Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Tom Luginbill)RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network (TuneIn, or local listings) | STREAM: WatchESPNMOBILE: ESPN appTWITTER: @IowaFBLive | @IowaAwesome | @IowaOnBTNWEATHER: n/a (it's in a dome, yo) clear skies, temperatures in the 80sLINE: Kentucky -3.
Iowa vs. Kentucky - College Football Game Summary - ESPN
[ReddiT!StReAm] Iowa vs. Kentucky Live-Streams on Free
Levis is likely to go to him early and often, so how well Iowa manages to contain him will be a key battle to watch. Let's hope Kentucky hasn't watched any Purdue game film in bowl prep to see examples of how one receiver can break the Iowa defense. Levis is a weapon in the Kentucky running game, but not the main option -- that would be Chris Rodriguez, who ran for 1272 yards and 8 TD on 205 carries (6.
So will game this come down to which strength is stronger or which weakness is weakest? For Iowa's sake, we might want to hope it's the strength because the best unit in the game definitely appears to be Iowa's defense. Of course, the Iowa offense also looks like by far the weakest unit in the game... will the game be decided on how much they're able to cobble together today? Maybe! Kentucky has given up 22 points per game this season, but in eight of 12 games this year they've held their opponents under 24 points and to 17 or fewer points in five of those eight games. If teams can get to the red zone, though, the Wildcat defense has been pretty forgiving -- they've allowed opponents to score in the red zone almost 92% of the time and they've given up touchdowns on almost 69% of those scoring drives, both of which rank near the bottom in the nation. (That could be another weakness vs weakness matchup: Iowa's very stoppable red zone offense against Kentucky's very movable red zone defense.
Iowa vs. Kentucky FREE LIVE STREAM (12/31/22) - NJ.com
2 ypc), though he also had a team-high 9 rushing touchdowns. To limit his damage, Iowa will need to contain him in the running game and try to force him into some mistakes, which he's capable of doing; he played extensively in Iowa's 2020 win over Penn State and fumbled the ball three times (losing two) and, as noted, he's also thrown 12 interceptions this year already. Hopefully Iowa's ball-hawking secondary can force a few more giveaways from Levis.
Iowa vs. Kentucky: How to watch the Music City Bowl online