WATCH: Darian Kinnard, Bully McCall prepare for the Citrus Bowl

Kentucky kicks off in the Citrus Bowl two weeks from today. Before the Wildcats take on Iowa in Orlando, two senior leaders in the trenches, Darian Kinnard and Marquan McCall, discuss how the team is preparing for the challenging season finale.

McCall gets NFL Matchup

When the bowl matchup was announced, Marquan McCall was handed an NFL audition tape. The Kentucky nose guard will line up across from consensus All-American center, Tyler Linderbaum. McCall can’t wait to prove that he’s one of the best of the best against one of the best of the best.

“I’m really excited. I always like competition and it’s exciting to get to go against him, show what I got and for him to show me what he’s got,” McCall said Friday afternoon.

“It’s an old school offense. They obviously like to run the ball. That’s what we like. We like for teams to run the ball, give us some more challenges. We can’t wait. We’re excited, we’re ready and we’re preparing to go.”

Kentucky’s Bully could get one more NFL Draft audition in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Although he has yet to make a final decision, if all goes well in Orlando, this could be McCall’s last ride as a Wildcat.

“I’m still deciding what I want to do,” he said. “It’s hard. It’s one of them hard choices that I’m going to have to make eventually. Right now I’m still weighing all my options.”

Full Circle for Kinnard

A return to the Citrus Bowl would provide a serendipitous ending to Darian Kinnard’s illustrious Kentucky career. Before he was a consensus All-American offensive tackle, he was working his way into the rotation as a true freshman. He took over a starting spot in the second half of Kentucky’s 2019 Citrus Bowl win and never relinquished that role.

“It was an amazing time. At first I remember nerves, but nothing I didn’t deal with be fore in the season. Just kind of enjoyed my time out there,” said Kinnard. “Looking back it was probably dome of the best moments I had that whole week being able to travel with those guys. We really had a lot of team bonding going on that week. I feel like it was just a great opportunity during that whole bowl week to really get to know my teammates and enjoy my time.”

Kinnard has been a part of 22 victories since that Citrus Bowl. He can become a part of an exclusive company if he can help the Cats secure another 10-win season at the Citrus Bowl. It would provide the perfect bookend to one of the greatest careers ever by a Kentucky offensive lineman.

“It feels good to come back to this game, kind of going out my senior year with the Citrus Bowl when I came in freshman year to the Citrus Bowl. I think it’s not a coincidence that it happened. I feel blessed being able to be with these guys for my last ride here. It feels great. It’s a great opportunity to go out there and continue to showcase my skills and what our team has done so far.”