With Kentucky’s uncertainty on offense, Iowa defense ‘got to be ready for everything’

NASHVILLE — Iowa’s upcoming Music City Bowl football game against Kentucky bears little resemblance from a literal standpoint to Iowa’s first two games of 2022.

Iowa sold out its games against South Dakota State and Iowa State (as well as the five other home games). Many tickets remain for Saturday’s game on New Year’s Eve in Nashville.

Iowa’s No. 1 quarterback in the SDSU and Iowa State games — Spencer Petras — is in Nashville, but he has his arm in a sling and will be watching Joe Labas man the position.

The Monday before the SDSU and Iowa State games, Iowa did not need to practice in snowy conditions.

But from a defensive preparation standpoint, Saturday’s game against Kentucky has some similarities to Iowa’s early-season matchups.

The Hawkeyes are preparing to face a Kentucky offense with a yet-to-be-announced quarterback making his first career start and a running back who essentially played third fiddle during the regular season.

Kentucky also will be playing its first game since making a change at offensive coordinator.

“I feel like this challenge is like a first game in a season,” Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell said.

Campbell specifically compared it to facing Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers when he was making his second career start against Iowa.

“You have one game of tape on him,” Campbell said. “Not knowing exactly what this guy likes to do.”

Iowa is essentially going from one extreme to the other after previously facing Nebraska’s Casey Thompson, who had more than 500 passing attempts in games at the collegiate level.

Kentucky’s most experienced option, Kaiya Sheron, has 29 career passing attempts.

“We’ve gotten through there pretty quickly,” Iowa defensive back Riley Moss said.

Destin Wade, meanwhile, has never appeared in a college game.

“You have to look at his Hudl, his high school stuff,” Moss said.

Iowa does have the benefit of having plenty of practice tape of Deuce Hogan, though, when he was with the Hawkeyes.

“I kind of know how he plays,” Campbell said.

The quarterback uncertainty makes for what Moss described as a “tough” set of circumstances.

“You don’t know who’s going to start when it could be two or three quarterbacks,” Moss said. “You just got to be ready for everything.”

Iowa’s defense can “try to look at the schemes and try to have an idea of what they’re going to be running,” defensive lineman John Waggoner said.

“But at the end of the day, you don’t exactly know.”

On the flip side, whoever does emerge at quarterback for Kentucky will not have an easy task against Iowa’s defense. The Hawkeyes rank sixth in the FBS in points allowed per game and fourth in yards allowed per game.

Iowa’s offense also could bring different element to bowl

Iowa has added some wrinkles, too, to the offense with Labas at quarterback.

In both practices open to media before the bowl game, Iowa ran run-pass option plays now that it is working with a dual-threat quarterback.

Tight end Sam LaPorta has been taking third-string quarterback reps in portions of practice. He practiced some run-pass option plays, which included a completion to wideout Nico Ragaini.

Other practice notes

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com