Iowa defensive back Dane Benton knows UK quarterback Will Levis can be a dangerous runner. (UK Athletics Photo)
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz admitted he had not seen a lot of Kentucky football this year when his team was paired against the Wildcats in the Citrus Bowl Jan. 1 in Orlando. However, he does know a little bit about Kentucky quarterback Will Levis — and not just because Levis also played in the Big Ten before transferring from Penn State to Kentucky this year.
“I can tell you what we think of Will. I think this is correct. We were the first Power 5 school to offer him. We offered him a couple Junes ago,” the Iowa coach said. “He came to camp.
“He was a guy our quarterback coach, Ken O’Keefe, really liked. He came out, came to camp. There was no question in our mind he was going to be a good college football player.
“Unfortunately, another school came in that was a little more prestigious than us a couple weeks later. That was the end of that relationship.”
Levis was an instant success at Kentucky. Going into the Citrus Bowl, he ranks in the top 50 nationally and top five in the SEC in passing yards (2,593 yards). He has 32 total touchdowns (23 passing, nine rushing) this season.
Ferentz said he saw a little bit of Levis during UK’s 9-3 season.
“Will is a tremendous football player. He’s done a great job. I hadn’t seen film but just followed and reading articles and that type of thing. I know he’s done a great job for Kentucky. I’m not surprised. He’s a first-class young man,” Ferentz said.
Iowa junior defensive back Dane Benton remembers Levis as a “tough” guy when he was at Penn State.
“They used him in the run game a lot. Little scheme plays and things like that. We’ll have to be ready for that,” Benton said. “He commands the offense well.
“He can toss the ball around a little bit. He runs and has an extra blocker. We’ll have to be physical, like we pride ourselves on, and just go from there.”
Benton anticipates Iowa will try to incorporate some of the same things against Levis now that it did when he was at Penn State.
“He has a new coordinator (Liam Coen), so we’ll have to do some new things as well. Overall, he’s a great player,” Benton said.
2 Responses
This match up is starting to be bit worrisome if you are a UK football fan IMO. For starters, It will be a very emotional game for both teams due to Coach playing ball there at Iowa. Now with the Levis recruitment story here, this is another motivational "tidbit" for the Hawkeyes based on being slighted by Levis in favor of Penn State during his Iowa recruitment. UK will have to play tough physical football, and be prepared. This Iowa team is very dangerous. I hope UK can get No. 10 in Orlando on January 1. I look for a very hard nosed physical game come New Years Day. Go Cats!!!
Think about where we would be without the transfer portal …… probably on the way to Shreveport for a minor bowl.
And in BB, sitting on the edge of our chair on BB selection Sunday !
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