Citrus Bowl: Familiar foes try to reverse fortunes against Hawkeyes

ORLANDO, Fla. — Though they think highly of each other, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis and the Iowa football program have given each other some heartache in the past.

Levis attended an Iowa football camp in Iowa City and got his first scholarship offer from the Hawkeyes. Iowa quarterback coach Ken O’Keefe, like Levis, is from Connecticut. O’Keefe made a connection with Levis, and the player liked what he saw and heard from the Hawkeyes.

“It was actually one of the best days of my life,” Levis told the Lexington Herald-Leader regarding his offer from Iowa.

“Unfortunately,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said, “another school came in that was a little bit more prestigious than us a couple of weeks later and that was the end of that relationship.”

That was Penn State. The Hawkeyes put a little hurt on Levis last year in State College when they sacked him three times and Levis was pulled for Sean Clifford after the first half of Iowa’s 41-21 win over the Nittany Lions.

Clifford was Penn State’s guy. Levis transferred to Kentucky. And here he is in Orlando, about to go up against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl after a regular season of accomplishments and nine victories as the Wildcats’ starter.

It didn’t long for head coach Mark Stoops and offensive coordinator Liam Coen to see who their new No. 1 quarterback would be.

“He tries to practice to get better every single day,” Coen said about Levis this week. “That's what's fun to coach and that's why it is a challenge to coach him. You better be on your stuff. You better be ready to go as a coach. When you don't, you can tell he gets bored.”

Levis completed 13 of 16 passes against Iowa and rushed for 34 yards despite the lost yardage from the three sacks. He is dual-threat, all right. He rushed for 113 yards and four touchdowns in the Wildcats’ regular-season finale, a 52-21 rout of Louisville.

Arm strength and quarterbacking savvy, however, are Levis’ calling cards. He has passed for 2,523 yards and 23 touchdowns this season, and has completed 66.4 percent of his throws.

Good quarterback.

Levis’ favorite target is another familiar face to the Hawkeyes. Wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson transferred to Kentucky from Nebraska. Last year, Robinson had nine catches for 75 yards and six rushes for 42 yards in Iowa’s 26-20 win over the Huskers.

Robinson is from Frankfort, Ky. He originally pledged to Kentucky, then flipped to Nebraska. He was welcomed back to the Bluegrass State with open arms, and has made the Wildcats happy.

He has a UK single-season record 94 catches for 1,164 yards.

“That’s a lot of catches,” Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker said Wednesday.

“Really impressed at what he's doing and how they get the ball to him, and how he can change a game.”

Robinson is averaging 129.8 receiving yards over the last four games. Holy Shades of David Bell, Batman!

“Obviously, he has the playmaking ability,” Levis said here this week. “He has the agility. He has the speed, and he is just someone I can trust throwing the ball to all around. So, great player to have.”

“The guys in the program were yearning for a leader like Will, a playmaker like Wan'Dale.” Coen said. “That was something that we needed and the program needed, and ended up working out pretty well.”

Levis and Robinson have found the grass is greener in the Bluegrass State. Now, they’ll try to beat an Iowa team they were 0-for against at other places.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com