How Kentucky and Iowa match up in the Music City Bowl — with a game prediction
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Music City Bowl preview: Kentucky vs. Iowa
The University of Kentucky football team concludes its 2022 season Saturday against Big Ten rival Iowa in the Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. Click below to view all the stories previewing the game that have been published on Kentucky.com.
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How the Kentucky Wildcats (7-5, 3-5 SEC) and Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten) match up at each position for Saturday’s Music City Bowl — with a game prediction:
Quarterbacks
▪ With Will Levis opting out, will Kentucky go with redshirt freshman Kaiya Sheron, true freshman Destin Wade or some combination of both? A Somerset product, the 6-foot-3, 208-pound Sheron started in place of an injured Levis on Oct. 9 against South Carolina. In UK’s 24-14 home loss to the Gamecocks, Sheron completed 15 of 27 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. A 6-3, 222-pound product of Spring Hill, Tenn., Wade would be making his college debut. Wade would also introduce a running threat from the QB spot to the UK offense. As a senior at Tennessee’s Summit High School, Wade rushed for 2,308 yards and 30 touchdowns while throwing for 1,436 yards and 18 TDs.
▪ With normal starter Spencer Petras having undergone shoulder surgery and No. 2 QB Alex Padilla having entered the transfer portal, Iowa is expected to start its No. 3 quarterback, redshirt freshman Joe Labas. A 6-4, 207-pound product of Brecksville, Ohio, Labas will be seeing his first collegiate action after primarily working on the Hawkeyes’ scout team over his first two years in Iowa City. At Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, Labas completed 67 percent of his pass attempts as a senior for 2,349 yards and 16 touchdowns. True freshman Carson May, a 6-4, 221-pound Jones, Okla., product, is the only other scholarship QB available for Iowa.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Running backs
▪ Kentucky will be without star Christopher Rodriguez (opt out) plus backups Kavosiey Smoke and Michael Drennen (transfer portal). That will leave it up to junior JuTahn McClain (238 rushing yards, 4.9 yards per carry) and redshirt freshman La’Vell Wright (117 rushing yards, 3 ypc) to handle the load for the Cats. In UK’s 20-17 victory over Iowa in last season’s Citrus Bowl, McClain carried 10 times for 28 yards.
▪ Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson (762 rushing yards, six TDs, 5.4 ypc) had three 100-yards-plus rushing games in what was a smashing debut season for the Hawkeyes. In Iowa’s 24-3 road win over eventual Big Ten West champion Purdue on Nov. 5, the 6-foot, 212-pound Johnson, a Hamilton, Ohio, product, ran for 200 yards and a TD on 22 carries. Redshirt sophomore Leshon Williams (410, 2, 3.6) carried 10 times for 42 yards vs. UK in last season’s Citrus Bowl.
Advantage: Iowa.
Wide receivers
▪ Kentucky true freshman Barion Brown (45 receptions, 604 receiving yards, four TDs) closed the season strong, making a combined 14 catches for 189 yards and two TDs in UK’s final two regular season games vs. Georgia and Louisville. Ex-Fredrick Douglass High School star Dane Key (31, 472, team-high six TDs) caught three passes for 37 yards and a touchdown in Kentucky’s 26-13 win over U of L in the regular-season finale. Virginia Tech transfer Tayvion Robinson (35, 470, three) is back on the Wildcats’ depth chart after missing the past two games due to injury. With UK’s receiving depth depleted by the departure of no fewer than five wideouts via the transfer portal, true freshmen speedsters Jordan Anthony and Brandon White, both of whom were redshirted in 2022, could see ample playing time.
▪ Iowa redshirt senior Nico Ragaini (32 catches, 365 yards, one TD) matched his season high with seven catches (for 60 yards) in the Hawkeyes’ 24-17, season-ending loss to Nebraska. Redshirt sophomore Diante Vines (eight catches, 71 yards) will potentially have a larger role in the offense due to Arland Bruce (19, 187, one) entering the transfer portal. Bruce caught four passes for 24 yards and ran twice for 21 yards vs. UK in the Citrus Bowl.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Tight ends
▪ Kentucky redshirt freshman Jordan Dingle (19 catches, 214 yards, three TDs) has caught at least one pass in eight of the past nine games. After coming on strong late in the season, true freshman Josh Kattus (seven catches, 125 yards) is not on the Music City Bowl depth chart, apparently due to an injury. That could create an opportunity for junior Izayah Cummings. The ex-Male High School star caught 14 passes and three touchdowns last season but has no catches in 2022.
▪ The Big Ten’s “Tight end of the Year,” Iowa senior star Sam LaPorta (team highs of 53 catches, 601 yards; one TD) “opted in” to the Music City Bowl even though he underwent knee surgery after he tore his meniscus vs. Minnesota on Nov. 19. “It just doesn’t process in my mind why you’d want to dip out on your boys at the last second,” LaPorta told The Gazette, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, newspaper. LaPorta torched UK to the tune of seven catches for 122 yards and a TD in the Citrus Bowl. Redshirt sophomore Luke Lachey (25, 362, three) is also highly capable as a receiver.
Advantage: Iowa.
Offensive linemen
▪ Kentucky redshirt senior Kenneth Horsey was unexpectedly forced to play left tackle in last season’s Citrus Bowl win over Iowa due to the unavailability of starter Dare Rosenthal. This year, Horsey, normally a guard, has spent much of the season at left tackle after UK’s other options at the position proved ineffective.
▪ Iowa redshirt sophomore left tackle Mason Richman, a 6-6, 308-pound product of Leawood, Kansas, has logged 21 career starts in 24 games and is considered the Hawkeyes’ top blocker. Logan Jones, a 6-3, 283-pound sophomore, switched from defensive line to center, stepping into the shoes of the departed Hawkeyes star Tyler Linderbaum.
Advantage: Iowa.
Defensive linemen
▪ In a stellar freshman campaign, Kentucky tackle Deone Walker (39 tackles, five QB hurries, 3.5 TFL, one sack, one forced fumble) seemed to get stronger the longer the season progressed. The 6-6, 330-pound Detroit product set his season high with six tackles in UK’s 16-6 loss to No. 1 Georgia in the 11th game of the year, then came back and matched that with six more stops in Kentucky’s regular-season finale vs. Louisville.
▪ Iowa redshirt senior right end Joe Evans and backup left tackle Lukas Van Ness lead the Hawkeyes in sacks with six each. A 6-2, 246-pound senior from Ames, Iowa, Evans (seven tackles, eight TFL, six sacks, four QB hurries and two forced fumbles) had two sacks and forced a safety in Iowa’s 7-3, season-opening win over San Diego State. A 6-5, 269-pound sophomore from Barrington, Illinois, Van Ness (34 tackles, 9.5 TFL, six sacks and four QB hurries) was selected second-team All-Big Ten by both the league coaches and the media. Van Ness had four tackles and a sack vs. UK in the Citrus Bowl.
Advantage: Iowa.
Linebackers
▪ Kentucky super-senior WLB DeAndre Square (58 tackles, three TFL, three pass breakups, two QB hurries, one sack, one interception) is not on the bowl depth chart due to an apparent injury. Square sealed UK’s victory over Iowa in last season’s Citrus Bowl with an interception with 48 seconds left in the game. Before returning in the regular-season finale vs. Louisville, super-senior MLB Jacquez Jones (34 tackles, 1.5 TF, one sack) had not played since suffering an injury in Kentucky’s loss at Ole Miss in the season’s fifth game. Super-senior SLB Jordan Wright (58 tackles, 8.5 TFL, seven QB hurries, three pass breakups, one sack, one forced fumble, one interception) led Kentucky with 10 tackles vs. Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
▪ Another Iowa “opt in,” middle linebacker Jack Campbell (118 tackles, six TFL, five QB hurries, two interceptions, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and a safety) won the Butkus Award, signifying the nation’s top linebacker. The 6-foot-4, 246-pound senior is a consensus first-team All-American and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. A homegrown product of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Campbell recorded a game-high 14 tackles against Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl.
Advantage: Even.
Defensive backs
▪ Kentucky redshirt freshman free safety Jordan Lovett (59 tackles, 1.5 TFL, two interceptions, two pass breakups) made 31 of his season’s tackles in the last five games of the year. A 6-2, 202-pound North Hardin product, Lovett had the game-clinching interception in the victory over Louisville. With starting cornerback Carrington Valentine opting out, redshirt sophomore Andru Phillips (30 tackles, 1.5 TFL, five pass breakups) will get the start at corner. With two highly touted transfer cornerbacks entering the UK program for 2023, the Music City Bowl is a chance for Phillips to stake his claim to a starting CB position for next season.
▪ Iowa senior right cornerback Riley Moss (46 tackles, one interception, 10 pass breakups, two forced fumbles) is yet another Hawkeyes’ star with ambitions of being selected in the 2023 NFL Draft who nevertheless opted to play in the bowl game. Sophomore left cornerback Cooper DeJean leads the Hawkeyes in picks with four and has made 68 tackles and broken up seven passes. Standout strong safety Kaevon Merriweather is the one top Iowa player who opted out of the Music City Bowl.
Advantage: Iowa.
Special teams
▪ Kentucky place-kicker Matt Ruffolo (16 of 24 field-goal attempts with a long of 50 yards) was named the Howard Schnellenberger MVP of the Governor’s Cup battle with Louisville after going 4-of-4 on field-goal attempts. After taking over the UK punting duties due to a season-ending injury suffered by regular Colin Goodfellow, Australian Wilson Berry is averaging 41.4 yards on nine kicks and has pinned foes inside the 20-yard-line four times. In a game in which sustained drives may be difficult to manufacture, returner Barion Brown (28.3 yards per kickoff return) could be an X-factor.
▪ Iowa junior punter Tory Taylor is one of the nation’s best, averaging 45.1 yards a kick. Out of 74 punts, Taylor has pinned foes inside their 20-yard-line 32 times. Place-kicker Drew Stevens, a freshman, has had a banner season. Stevens is 16-of-18 on field-goal tries with a long of 54 yards.
Advantage: Iowa.
Prediction
Iowa 5, Kentucky 3.
This story was originally published December 29, 2022 at 6:30 AM.
