KSR Gameday: Kentucky battles Iowa in the Citrus Bowl

by:Nick Roush•01/01/22•

RoushKSR

Kentucky is ringing in the New Year at the Citrus Bowl. The Wildcats will take on Iowa at Camping World Stadium at 1 pm ET on ABC.

Mark Stoops must defeat his alma mater to complete a second 10-win season in four years, a feat last accomplished in Lexington 40 years prior. The first ever matchup between Kentucky and Iowa on a football field, Stoops’ must battle emotions before kickoff.

“It’s hard to put into words what the Iowa program has meant to us,” Mark Stoops said leading into the bowl game.

Kentucky will square up against a putrid Iowa offense. The Hawkeyes average 4.55 yards per play (122nd of 130 FBS teams) and only complete 54.3% of their passes (No. 118 in FBS). Iowa did not announce who will be the starting quarterback prior to kickoff, and it doesn’t really matter. Their best offensive player is the guy who snaps it to the quarterback, All-American center Tyler Linderbaum. The matchup between Linderbaum and Marquan McCall could define the outcome of the game.

“He knows how to drive off the ball. He’s really aggressive,” McCall said this week. “I just like a challenge and I feel like between me and him. It’s gonna be a great game.”

It’s gonna be a great game indeed. Football time in the Bluegrass is less than four hours. Let’s do this.

Citrus Bowl Hype Video

Lynn Bowden lent his voice to relive his great moment from the Citrus Bowl and prepare the BBN for another big win in Orlando. He used a couple of Mark Stoops quotes to make sure everyone is ready to rock and roll this afternoon.

Josh Paschal is ‘Highly Questionable’

Kentucky football fans have likely seen Josh Paschal play his last game as a Wildcat. Mark Stoops said the Kentucky team captain is ‘highly questionable’ after he re-aggravated an injury in the Governor’s Cup and had to overcome an illness leading into the Citrus Bowl.

“He really wants to play, but I don’t feel like I can play him with a clear conscience,” Stoops said.

Underclassmen Tre’vonn Rybka and Kahlil Saunders will be called upon to fill in for Kentucky’s leader in tackles for loss.

The Schedule

9:00 — The KSR Pregame Show Kicks Off on 630 WLAP
10:45 — The Cat Walk on Rio Grande Ave outside Gate C
1:00 — Kickoff on ABC

Vegas, TV, Radio

Kentucky is a 3-point favorite over Iowa and the total is set for 44. The over might be the best bet of the day. The over has hit in Iowa’s previous four games, and four of Kentucky’s last five.

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Tom Luginbill are on the call for ABC. The crew called the Cheez-It Bowl and they’re sticking around for Sunday’s Under Armour All-American Game. Marc Kestecher and Ben Hartsock are broadcasting the game on ESPN Radio. Kickoff is set for 1 pm ET. If you’d rather listen to the Voice of the Wildcats, there are multiple ways to hear today’s game.

AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
FM: 98.1 WBUL
Satellite: XM-190, Sirius-138, SXM App-961
Online: iHeart Radio

Kentucky’s Citrus Bowl Uniforms

Kentucky is bringing out the Chrome Domes for the New Year’s Day bowl game. They’ll be accompanied by all-blue uniforms. Kentucky is 3-1 in all-blue this season and 15-5 all-time under Mark Stoops.

Citrus Bowl Podcast Previews

You look like you need something to listen to before the game begins. The KSR podcasting crew has you covered with three very different Citrus Bowl previews.