Iowa prepares for familiar faces, Will Levis and Wan'Dale Robinson

For all its quirks, the college football bowl season is wildly entertaining because of the matchups against uncommon opponents. Saturday’s VRBO Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium will be the first ever meeting between Iowa and Kentucky, yet the Hawkeyes have faced a couple of Wildcats before, Will Levis and Wan’Dale Robinson.

Even though they are the same players, Kentucky is using each former Big Ten athlete in different ways. Robinson is no longer a running back and Levis is now much more than a run-first quarterback.

Robinson’s Record vs. Iowa

This will be the third straight year Robinson has gone toe-to-toe with the Iowa defense. He lost the previous two matchups as a Nebraska Cornhusker by a combined nine points. Robinson has as many career receptions (9) vs. Iowa as he does carries. That will not be the case when he suits up for the Wildcats this Saturday.

Now the holder of UK’s single-season receptions record with 94, all eyes will be on the wide receiver when Kentucky needs a big play.

“They want the ball in his hands at some critical points,” said Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker. “He does a good job for what I see on film. I don’t know what it is in the day-to-day practice stuff he does, but really impressed at what he’s doing and how they get the ball to him and how he can change a game.”

Levis’ Growth since his First Start

Like Wan’Dale, Will Levis has become more explosive since his first tango with the Hawkeyes. The first power five school to offer Levis a scholarship, it’s also the first team he faced as a starting quarterback. Leading Penn State’s offense in 2020, he completed 13-of-16 passes for 106 yards, but Iowa was more focused on his legs than his arm. Levis carried it 15 times in the 20-point loss.

“He seems like a much more mature player than then,” said Iowa defensive back Jack Koerner. “When we played them last year, he was really more of a run threat to us. Getting the ball out wasn’t necessarily his strong suit. So obviously he’s matured a little bit, and he’s been throwing the ball a little bit more and that’s obviously something we’re looking at.”

Levis has not completely abandoned the rushing aspect of his game — clearly evident in his four-rushing touchdown performance against Louisville — but under offensive coordinator Liam Coen he has become a more comfortable passer in the pocket. He improved his completion percentage to 66.5% in Lexington, accounting for more than 2,500 yards and 23 touchdowns.

“What I have improved in most is the comfort aspect of the position,” said Levis. “That really just comes with reps, and that really comes with seeing different looks in a variety of different ways. The more looks you see and the more reps you get, the more comfortable you are going to be.”

The Will Levis and Wan’Dale Robinson that Iowa will face this Saturday are not the same players the Hawkeyes defeated in 2020.