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Kentucky’s Citrus Bowl matchup vs. Iowa carries special meaning for Mark Stoops

By Patrick Schmidt

Kentucky's Mark Stoops acknowledges the crowd yelling "Stoops" after he helped coach the Wildcats defeat Louisville 52-21 Saturday night. Nov. 27, 2021Louisville Vs Kentucky 2021 Governors Cup
Kentucky's Mark Stoops acknowledges the crowd yelling "Stoops" after he helped coach the Wildcats defeat Louisville 52-21 Saturday night. Nov. 27, 2021Louisville Vs Kentucky 2021 Governors Cup /
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No. 22 Kentucky takes on No. 15 Iowa in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops will take on his alma mater in the Wildcats’ bowl game. Kentucky takes on Iowa in the Citrus Bowl from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on New Year’s Day.

After losing in blowout fashion in the Big Ten Championship Game, Iowa still gets a New Year’s Day game and has a chance to improve to 11-3 on the year.

Kentucky is coming off a 31-point win in the season finale against rival Louisville in search of the team’s 10th win of the year. Stoops received a contract extension following that win to keep him in Lexington for the foreseeable future.

Mark Stoops leads Kentucky against his alma mater, Iowa, in Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day

The Citrus Bowl will hold special appeal for Stoops who was a defensive back for the Hawkeyes from 1986-1988 and began his coaching career as a grad assistant in Iowa City from 1990-1991.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.

Players opting out of bowl games has been a common theme in recent years, but with Kentucky having a shot to win 10 games, there is a lot to play for on the Wildcats sideline. There may be some players who opt out, but with a chance to make history, don’t count on it.

For Iowa, their offense did them in at the end of the season and the defense that was so good at forcing turnovers and creating points off them, just couldn’t continue to put the offense on their backs. That’s what did them in during their losses this year, especially against Michigan who blew their doors off in the Big Ten Championship Game.

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