Music City gives Iowa chance for payback against Kentucky

Music Metropolis Bowl: Iowa (7-5) vs. Kentucky (7-5), Dec. 31, midday EST (ABC)

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK COLLEGE LINE: Iowa by 2 1/2.

Sequence report: Kentucky leads 1-0.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is one bowl win away from tying the late Joe Paterno for many bowl wins by a Large Ten coach (10). Higher but, the Hawkeyes can get some payback for dropping the Citrus Bowl to Kentucky 20-17 to wrap up final season. That is Iowa’s first journey to the Music Metropolis Bowl. The Kentucky Wildcats can add to their college report streak with a fifth straight bowl victory. The Wildcats are also in search of their eighth victory for the fourth time in 5 seasons. A victory could be the sixteenth season all-time that Kentucky has completed with no less than eight wins.

KEY MATCHUP

Iowa’s offense vs. Kentucky’s protection. The Wildcats enable simply 19.1 per recreation to rank eleventh within the nation. That features holding top-ranked Georgia to only 16 factors final month. General, the Wildcats are permitting 320.2 yards recreation (seventeenth in FBS) and 146.8 towards the run (59th). Iowa was subsequent to final in whole offense (255.4 yards) and can be laborious pressed to maneuver the ball towards Kentucky in any section particularly with a brand new quarterback who has but to take a snap in a university recreation. Starter Spencer Petras is harm, and Alex Padilla hit the switch portal.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Iowa: All-American LB Jack Campbell. The primary Hawkeye to win the Butkus Award led Iowa with 118 tackles. He’s an enormous anchor to a protection that held opponents to 277.9 yards and 14.4 factors per recreation.

Kentucky: Senior DB Keidron Smith. The Ole Miss switch helped shore up the secondary and ranked eighth with 43 tackles. He additionally tied for the workforce lead with two interceptions, returning one for a 65-yard landing at Florida. He has seven profession picks. His sister, Kaylon, is a senior ahead for Vanderbilt.

FACTS & FIGURES

That is Iowa’s thirty fifth bowl recreation look and first time on the Music Metropolis Bowl. Iowa accepted a bid to play on this bowl in 2020 towards Missouri earlier than the bowl was canceled due to the pandemic. … Iowa is 6-6 all-time in bowl video games towards present Southeastern Convention groups. … Iowa is bowl eligible for the twenty first time in 22 seasons beneath Ferentz. … Kentucky leads the nation profitable 20 straight nonconference video games. … Kentucky can put up its thirteenth bowl victory all-time and third on the Music Metropolis Bowl. … A win would prolong coach Mark Stoops’ program report to 67 profession victories. … Iowa All-American DB Kaevon Merriweather opted out of this bowl to arrange for the NFL draft. So did Kentucky QB Will Levis and RB Chris Rodriguez.

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