For the second straight season, the Kentucky football team is matched up with the Iowa Hawkeyes. This time in the Transperfect Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee.

The theme of the game will almost certainly be defense, as both teams rank top 20 nationally in total defense and points allowed. Whereas on offense, both teams rank towards the bottom of the country and neither will have their starting quarterback.

Due to this, the game likely will see conservative offensive plans, and poor weather conditions could cement that strategy for the coaches. Together, these reasons equate to why the point total for this game is the lowest in college football history, at just 31.5.

While it may not be the most exciting game to watch offensively, Kentucky has the opportunity to extend their nation-leading postseason winning streak to five straight.

Let’s take a closer look at the matchup.

Who will be the starting QB?

With his name mentioned towards the top of NFL draft boards, it was all but a foregone conclusion that Will Levis would not participate in Kentucky’s bowl game in preparation for the NFL Draft. That leaves the question, who will start?

That has yet to be officially announced, and when the depth chart was released earlier this week, it didn’t provide a clear answer either. At quarterback, the depth chart listed Kaiya Sheron OR Destin Wade, OR Duece Hogan.

With that said, there are reports that Wade will make the start on Saturday, but the offense could also feature Sheron. Both quarterbacks have traded reps with the first-team offense in the practices leading up to the bowl game.

Youth Will Be on Display

While this season did not meet the high expectations set in the preseason, fans did get to see the breakout of several key young players, such as Barion Brown, Dane Key, and Deone Walker. Those players will take the field again on Saturday, but with multiple players sitting out of the bowl game, expect to see more young players take the field.

On the offensive side of the ball, the staff has been excited to see what Destin Wade (QB) and Jordan Anthony (WR) can do.

As mentioned before, Destin Wade will get his first in-game action as a Kentucky Wildcat and Vince Marrow believes he could develop into Kentucky’s starting quarterback in a few seasons. Talented as a runner, Vince Marrow also says, “He can make every throw”.

As for Anthony, the freshman wide receiver has ELITE speed. In high school, Anthony was classified as a world-class sprinter, holding top-five times in the 100m and 200m sprints in the under-18 world category. Expect some deep shots in Anthony’s direction.

On the defensive side of the ball, impact players like Alex Afari Jr. and Jordan Lovett will make a bigger impact on the game with Carrington Valenite and Deandre Square sitting out. Also, look for Jamarius Dinkins (DT) and Martez Thrower (LB) to play quality minutes.

Group Offensive Playcalling Effort

When Rich Scangarello was let go as offensive coordinator, the question of who will coach the offense in the bowl game was one of the first to be asked. Mark Stoops answered in early December, saying that it would be a “group effort.”

Since then, Vince Marrow told the media “I’m calling the plays,” but Stoops has doubled down on his comments. 

“Scott Woodward will have a great deal to do with the play-calling,” Stoops told reporters in Nashville on Wednesday. “Just from a piecing it together from a quarterback and wide receiver point of view. Between Woody and Vince and everybody else, it’ll be a group effort.”

With a lot of unknowns on the offense, it will be interesting to see what unique play-calling the staff has created, and they can catch a disciplined Iowa defense by surprise.

JuTahn McClain and La’Vell Wright Impact

The Cats will also be missing running back Chris Rodriguez on Saturday, as he is also not participating in the bowl game and preparing for the NFL Draft.

That leaves just two running backs on the depth chart, Jutahn McClain and La’Vell Wright. Both backs rushed for less than 50 attempts, compared to Rodriguez’s 175 attempts. Saturday’s game should give them a better opportunity to show what they can bring next season.

Iowa ranks third in the Big Ten in run defense and holds teams to right under 114 rushing yards per game this season. This doesn’t bold well for the Kentucky offense, as the Wildcats became more reliant on the run in the second half of the season, accounting for over 60 percent of their plays.

It will be fun to see what the Cats running back tandem does against the slow and stout Hawkeye defense.

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

Time: 12 pm ET on December 31st, 2022
Location: Nissan Stadium — Nashville, Tennessee
TV Channel: ABC
Announcers: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst), and Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline).
Online Stream: TV Streaming Apps (i.e. Sling, Hulu), WatchESPN, ESPN+, and the ESPN app.
Radio: Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro have the UK radio network call on 630AM, 98.1 FM in Lexington, and the UK Sports Network.
Weather: High 61F. Winds at 7-8 mph. Chance of rain 19%, per Covers.com.
Rosters: UK | IA
Stats to Know: UK | IA

Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has Iowa listed as a 2-point favorite.

Score Projection: TeamRankings projects a 17-14 Iowa win.