We already knew that one of the teams (Iowa) in the Music City Bowl would be without its starting quarterback -- Spencer Petras will miss the game due to a shoulder injury. Now we know he won't be the only starting quarterback not playing in that game -- Kentucky QB Will Levis is joining Petras on the sideline, as he gets an early start on preparation for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Thank you #BBN pic.twitter.com/VYkrC4j2yM
— Will Levis (@will_levis) December 7, 2022
This not a surprising move -- the Music City Bowl is squarely mid-tier and Levis is projected as one of the top 2-3 QB available in next year's draft. But it means that Kentucky, like Iowa, will also have to dig into its depth chart to find a quarterback to play in this game.
That new quarterback could be former Iowa backup QB Deuce Hogan, who transferred to Kentucky before the season. However, Hogan wasn't listed behind Levis on Kentucky's last depth chart (Kaiya Sheron and Destin Wade were), nor has he taken any snaps this season. Sheron, a 6'3", 208 lb RS freshman, is the only other Kentucky QB to record any stats this season, appearing in four games and going 17/29 (58.6%) for 187 yards, 2 TD, and an interception.
It bears noting that these were two teams that both ranked in the 100s for total offense and scoring offense when they had their starting quarterbacks available to them. On top of that, both teams have defenses that rank in the Top 20 in total defense and scoring defense. So you have two very good defenses facing two very bad offenses -- who are even further depleted thanks to injuries, transfers, and NFL Draft departures. Kentucky, like Iowa, has had multiple wide receivers enter the transfer portal, albeit mostly players further down the depth chart. Their top three receivers should be available for the game (as of this writing, at least).
To recap:
The Music City Bowl will feature:
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) December 7, 2022
- Two offenses outside the top 100 in scoring
- Two top-15 scoring defenses
- Iowa's 3rd string QB
- Kentucky's backup QB
- Few first-string receivers
This game is going to be a beautiful mess.
The 2022 Music City Bowl is on Saturday, December 31, 2022 at 11:00 AM CT (ABC)
