The Hawkeyes’ date towards the Kentucky Wildcats within the TransPerfect Music Metropolis Bowl is nearly two weeks away. Iowa will battle Kentucky on Dec. 31 from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., at 11 a.m.
It’s a repeat from final season’s Vrbo Citrus Bowl, which the Wildcats received 20-17 behind quarterback Will Levis’ 233 passing yards and a rating and Kentucky working again Chris Rodriguez Jr.’s 20 carries for 107 yards with a landing.
Neither is enjoying on this 12 months’s sport. What’s the large storyline then? Is it nonetheless revenge for Iowa with stars lacking each methods?
ESPN has an thought for what the most important storyline is for Iowa-Kentucky within the TransPerfect Music Metropolis Bowl.
Who will get an opportunity to play quarterback for Iowa earlier than former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara is available in subsequent 12 months? Fifth-year senior Spencer Petras‘ shoulder damage and junior Alex Padilla coming into the switch portal has the Hawkeyes (7-5) scrambling. Iowa’s protection (277.9 YPG, 14.4 PPG), led by senior linebacker Jack Campbell (115 tackles, two interceptions), will go up towards a Wildcats’ offense (336.3 YPG, 22.1 PPG) that ranked final within the SEC and can be with out senior quarterback Will Levis. Kentucky (7-5) has a protection that isn’t a slouch both because it ranked second within the SEC in passing (173.4) and factors (19.1). – Blake Baumgartner, ESPN.
It’s actually going to be attention-grabbing watching both Joe Labas or Carson Could begin at quarterback. Neither has taken a collegiate snap.
“Properly, will probably be him or Carson Could, one of many two. We’ll let these guys work the following 4 weeks and see how they do. We had been on the sphere yesterday and each, I assumed, did some good issues however clearly we received some work to do with each guys. The excellent news is we’ve 4 weeks to get that executed,” Iowa head soccer coach Kirk Ferentz mentioned again on Dec. 4 when requested if Labas would begin towards Kentucky.
Ferentz shared a few of his impressions of every.
“Good. You hope all the fellows are good. The one man, you realize, as quickly as you point out that, I’m interested by TJ Hockenson, who was a redshirt freshman, tortured our protection and actually did job. So it was no large shock that he ended up creating into a extremely good soccer participant after which solely was with us for 2 extra years and finally ends up being the eighth or ninth participant drafted.
“So that you simply by no means know what the trail’s going to be, however each these guys have executed job. They’re good, younger guys and clearly they’re missing expertise proper now and that’s our job to maneuver ’em ahead,” Ferentz mentioned.
It’s arduous to argue that it received’t drive a lot of the dialog within the sport. After a pair of seasons the place offense has been so arduous to come back by, a brand new signal-caller for Iowa is certain to be some of the thrilling components of this Music Metropolis Bowl.
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