BY THE NUMBERS: Previewing the Music City Bowl
A look inside some of the intriguing numbers in a postseason rematch between Kentucky and Iowa on Saturday at the Music City Bowl in Nashville...
1 - Bowl victory needed by Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz to tie Joe Paterno (10) for most bowl wins as a member of the Big Ten. Ferentz is 9-9 all-time in bowl games.
2.5 - Iowa is a slight favorite in the matchup. In what is expected to be a close game, UK is 21-10 since the 2016 season in games settled by seven or fewer points.
3 - Straight wins for the Wildcats against ranked teams in bowl games.
4 of 5 - Kentucky seeking to win at least eight games in four of the last five seasons.
No. 4 & No. 16 - National total defense rankings of Iowa (277.9 ypg) and Kentucky (320.2 ypg), respectively.
No. 6 & No. 11 - National scoring defense rankings of Iowa (14.4 ppg) and Kentucky (19.1 ppg), respectively. Eight opponents of the Hawkeyes scored 10 or fewer points this season.
6 - Touchdown catches for Kentucky's Dane Key. It leads the team and is the highest total for a freshman in program history.
7th - Consecutive bowl appearance for Kentucky, the longest streak in program history. It's the Wildcats' 22nd bowl game overall (12-9 record), and their sixth trip to the Music City Bowl. Head coach Mark Stoops is 4-2 in postseason play.
8 - Kentucky players will be making their final appearance as a Wildcat in the MCB: DB Tyrell Ajian, P Colin Goodfellow * (injured for bowl game), LB Jacquez Jones, OL Tashawn Manning, LB William Nalty, PK Matt Ruffolo, DB Keidron Smith, and LB Jordan Wright.
9 - Different quarterbacks have won a game for UK during the Stoops era. The Cats will be looking for a 10th on Saturday with senior starter Will Levis opting out of the game with an eye on the NFL Draft. Kaiya Sheron, Destin Wade, and Deuce Hogan are the potential candidates in the Music City Bowl.
17 - Players have at least one pass rececption for UK this season, led by freshman receiver Barion Brown with 45.
20 - The Wildcats own the longest non-conference winning streak in the nation.
20-17 - Score of last year's Citrus Bowl win by UK over Iowa.
30-37-4 - Kentucky's all-time record against current members of the Big Ten conference.
No. 31 - Iowa's Jack Campbell has been recognized as the nation’s top linebacker, the first Hawkeye to ever receive the Butkus Award. The consensus first-team All-American has 118 tackles this season.
53 - Receptions by Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta to lead the Hawkeyes in the passing game. He was one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award honoring the nation's top tight end.
No. 105 & No. 123 - Kentucky and Iowa's national ranks (out of 131 FBS programs) in scoring offense. The Cats average 22.1 points per game, while the Hawkeyes average 17.4 points per game.
1987-89 - Years spent at Iowa by Mark Stoops as a player under former Hawkeyes head coach Hayden Fry.