Transperfect Music City Bowl

Kentucky (7-5) vs. Iowa (7-5)

11 a.m. CST Saturday, Dec. 31

Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee

0 Passes have been thrown this season by any of the quarterbacks available for Iowa in Saturday’s game. Starting QB Spencer Petras is injured, and backup Alex Padilla has entered the transfer portal.

1 Previous meeting between Kentucky and Iowa – the Wildcats’ 20-17 victory in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2022.

MORE SEC FOOTBALL BY THE NUMBERS:

· TENNESSEE VS. CLEMSON: ORANGE BOWL

· SOUTH CAROLINA VS. NOTRE DAME: GATOR BOWL

· CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICANS

1 Music City Bowl did not include an SEC team — Virginia’s 34-31 victory over Minnesota in the 2005 game. The SEC has a 9-13 overall record in the Music City Bowl. The Big Ten has a 4-4 record in the Music City Bowl – 4-3 against SEC opponents.

4 Rushing TDs have been allowed by the Iowa defense this season, the fewest in the nation. The Hawkeyes’ opponents have rushed for an average of 104.1 yards per game and averaged 2.9 yards on 433 rushing attempts.

4.1 Yards per play have been allowed by the Iowa defense in 2022, the lowest average in the nation entering the bowl season.

5 Victories and seven losses for Iowa against SEC opponents. All the meetings except one have come in bowls. On Aug. 30, 1987, Iowa lost to Tennessee 23-22 in the Kickoff Classic in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Hawkeyes’ only regular-season meeting with an SEC opponent. Iowa’s most recent game against an SEC opponent is a 20-17 loss to Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2022.

6 TD receptions for Kentucky WR Dane Key in 2022, the most for the Wildcats and the school freshman record. Key broke the record of three set by Derek Abney in 2000 and equaled by Tommy Cook in 2001.

6 Appearances for Kentucky in the Music City Bowl when the Wildcats take the field on Saturday, twice as many as any other program has made. A victory would make the Wildcats the first school to win three times in the Music City Bowl. Kentucky defeated Clemson 28-20 on Dec. 29, 2006, and Florida State 35-28 on Dec. 31, 2007, and lost to Syracuse 20-13 on Dec. 29, 1999, Clemson 21-13 on Dec. 27, 2009, and Northwestern 24-23 on Dec. 29, 2017. Kentucky has never played more than twice in any other bowl.

8 Opponents have scored 10 or fewer points against Iowa this season. The Hawkeyes have held more opponents to 10 or fewer points than any other team in the nation in 2022.

9 Bowl victories and nine bowl losses for Iowa under coach Kirk Ferentz. If the Hawkeyes win on Saturday, Ferentz would tie Joe Paterno’s record for most bowl victories as a Big Ten coach. Ferentz is in his 24th season as Iowa’s coach. He’s been in his position longer than any other current NCAA FBS coach.

12 Victories and nine losses for Kentucky in bowls after the Wildcats ended their past four seasons with bowl wins. Kentucky defeated Penn State 27-24 in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2019, Virginia Tech 37-30 in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 31, 2019, North Carolina State 23-21 in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2, 2021, and Iowa 20-17 in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2022.

17 Victories, 16 losses and one tie for Iowa in bowls. The Hawkeyes will be making their first appearance in the Music City Bowl.

17.4 Points per game have been scored by Iowa in 2022. Entering the bowl season, only seven teams in the nation had a smaller scoring average than the Hawkeyes.

20 Consecutive non-conference opponents have been beaten by Kentucky, the longest such streak in the nation. Kentucky’s most recent loss to a non-conference opponent was a 24-23 setback against Northwestern in the Music City Bowl to end its 2017 season.

22 Victories and 26 losses for Kentucky against Big Ten opponents. In 35 of those games, Indiana was the opponent. Kentucky’s most recent game against a Big Ten opponent came in the Citrus Bowl – a 20-17 victory over Iowa on Jan. 1, 2022. The Wildcats have a 3-2 bowl mark against Big Ten opponents.

33 Seasons since Kentucky coach Mark Stoops played his final game as an Iowa defensive back. Stoops was a letter-winner for coach Hayden Fry with the Hawkeyes from 1987 through 1989.

45 Receptions for WR Baron Brown this season, the school record for receptions by a freshman, which had been set at 40 by Derek Abney in 2000. Brown also holds the Kentucky record for receiving yards by a freshman with 604 in 2022.

53 Receptions for 601 yards and one TD by Iowa’s Sam LaPorta this season. The Hawkeyes’ leading receiver won the Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year Award in the Big Ten in 2022.

118 Tackles have been made this season by Iowa LB Jack Campbell, who won the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker. Campbell also is the Big Ten’s Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year for 2022.

170 First downs for the Iowa offense in 2022. Only one team in the nation – New Mexico with 160 – has fewer.

178 Yards on 15-of-27 passes with two TDs and one interception for Kentucky QB Kaiya Sheron in the only start of his college career – a 24-14 loss to South Carolina on Oct. 8. Sheron is expected to be under center for the Wildcats on Saturday with No. 1 QB Will Levis leaving Kentucky early to focus on the NFL Draft.

238 Rushing yards on 49 carries for Kentucky RB JuTahn McClain during the 2022 season. He’s the leading available ball-carrier for the Wildcats with the season’s top two rushers, Christopher Rodriguez Jr. and Kavosiey Smoke, leaving Kentucky early.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.