Why Kentucky Will Win The Vrbo Citrus Bowl
The Wildcats make teams play the way they want them to.
It starts with a running game that kicked it all in at the end of the season with 225 yards or more in each of the last four games. Now, you and an egg salad sandwich could hit that mark rushing against Tennessee, Vanderbilt, New Mexico State, and Louisville, but the ground attack really is just that good.
It all ties together. Mark Stoops’ teams never seem to care about time of possession, but they run well, the defenses are strong at getting off the field thanks to a good pass rush, and they’re almost always in games in the fourth quarter.
Iowa’s offense doesn’t do enough to keep up the pace.
The passing game is painful, there isn’t a steady ground attack, and overall the team finished 123rd in the nation in total offense.
UMass, UNLV, Rutgers, and Bowling Green are among the teams that averaged more yards per game than the Hawkeyes.
But …
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Why Iowa Will Win The Vrbo Citrus Bowl
The Hawkeyes make teams play the way they want them to.
It might not have been the smoothest ride, and it might not always be pretty, but the Hawkeye defense has the ability to take the ball away in bunches and Kentucky occasionally has giveaway issues.
There were four Wildcat turnovers against Mississippi State, four more against New Mexico State, and a whole lot of problems over the first third of the season. To be fair, the Kentucky offense was able to clamp down a bit on the mistakes, but Iowa has a way of forcing teams to screw up.
The Kentucky offense might have gone off late in the year, but again, the offense rolled against mostly mediocre defenses. The O didn’t work well against Florida, or Georgia, and it was held to 216 yards against Mississippi State.
Iowa’s defense is the second-best – behind Georgia’s – the Wildcats have dealt with all year. UK has to be ready for a grind of a game, and Iowa manages to come up with the one big moment needed in low-scoring games better than almost anyone.
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