Kentucky is prepared for old school, physical matchup against Iowa

Iowa football has a brand. The Kentucky Wildcats must be able to match the playing style of the Hawkeyes in the Citrus Bowl.

In his 23rd season as the head coach in Iowa City, Kirk Ferentz likes his Iowa teams to keep things simple in the Big Ten West. The Hawks want to establish the run, remain conservative on offense, play field position, and beat teams with tough, sound defense. Iowa utilizes a fullback and multiple two tight end sets on offense. Defensively, Iowa stops the run with a four-down front that creates room for their off-ball linebackers to make a ton of tackles.

Defensive coordinator Phil Parker has built a juggernaut in Iowa City that consistently produces top-25 units. The 2021 defense is no different as opponents are scoring just 19.2 points per game and averaging 4.72 yards per play.

“Their defense is very technical,” Kentucky right tackle Darian Kinnard told reporters on Friday. “I wouldn’t compare them to the size of the SEC, but I think they’re pretty big for their conference, and they’re very stout when they play. Very technical. They don’t really miss a lot of blocks, and their linebackers have, what, over 100 something tackles. One of their d-lineman has over 50.

When turning on the tape, Iowa is a team that plays hard and does not miss assignments. The Hawkeyes avoid errors and usually win games due to the other side making more mistakes.

“I love watching the film of Iowa because I love how fundamental they are,” Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said on Thursday. “They really are a good football team. So well-coached. It really puts a smile on my face because it’s like they are truly well-coached, and the technique and the effort that they play with is fun to watch, and that’s what I want to look like.

However, Kinnard believes that the Wildcats will be ready for the challenge. This is a team that has gone through the gauntlet in the SEC and put points up on just about everyone. The road test against Georgia stands out the most.

“We went against the best defense in the country a couple of weeks ago down in Georgia,” said Kinnard. “That’s nothing against them, I just feel like now we’re kind of prepared for that.”

Regardless, the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day is going to be a fistfight at the line of scrimmage. Both Iowa and Kentucky are built from the inside out. Each side wants to establish the run on offense and stop the run on defense while using the big guys in the trenches to set the tone. There is no hiding from what this game will be.

“It’s going to be a great, physical game,” said Kinnard.