Iowa football going to Music City Bowl, will face Kentucky

Hawkeyes’ 2022 bowl game will be Citrus Bowl rematch

Dec. 4, 2022 2:48 pm, Updated: Dec. 28, 2022 5:18 pm

Tennessee and Purdue play in Nissan Stadium during the second half of the Music City Bowl NCAA college football game Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

A banner for the Music City Bowl has been hanging in a corner of Iowa football’s indoor practice facility for the last two seasons.

After COVID-19 got in the way of an appearance in 2020, the Hawkeyes will finally be making their first trip to the Music City Bowl in 2022.

They will be playing Kentucky on Dec. 31 at 11 a.m. in Nashville.

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It will be the second time in the 2022 calendar year that Iowa and Kentucky faced off, following the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1.

The Wildcats walked away with a 20-17 win in the first matchup, thanks to an 80-yard Kentucky touchdown drive in the final minutes. Iowa had a chance to tie or take the lead, but the drive ended with a Spencer Petras interception.

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It will be Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops’ second time playing against his alma mater.

The Wildcats were 7-5 overall and 3-5 in SEC play this season. They reached the top 10 of the Associated Press Poll after opening their SEC schedule with a 10-point win at then-No. 12 Florida, but they then lost five of their next seven conference games.

Kentucky, which won four straight bowl games and will be playing about a three-hour drive from its home stadium, opened as a 0.5-point favorite according to the Action Network. Odds will surely shift, though, as rosters change because of bowl opt-outs, transfers and injuries.

The Music City Bowl invited Iowa in 2020, but COVID-19 issues within the Missouri program led to the game’s cancellation.

Iowa became bowl-eligible after earning its sixth win of the season on Nov. 12 against Wisconsin. Iowa’s 7-5 finish in the regular season was the team’s worst since 2017.

It is Iowa’s 10th consecutive bowl invitation and 20th bowl invitation in Kirk Ferentz’s 24 years as head coach. Ferentz will be seeking his 10th bowl win as head coach.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com