College Football
2022 Vrbo Citrus Bowl: Kentucky Wildcats Dominate Iowa Hawkeyes, 20-17
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – The Kentucky Wildcats and Iowa Hawkeyes clashed hard for the Vrbo Citrus Bowl trophy before a roaring audience of over 50,700 fans at Camping World Stadium Saturday.
First Half
Kentucky got on the board first in the first quarter with Will Levis’s five-yard touchdown pass to Chris Rodriguez, and the defense ensured Iowa didn’t score at all in the first.
It’s worth noting that Kentucky’s defense needed to protect quarterback Will Levis a bit more, though. He first sack came in the first quarter.
Iowa finally got on the board early in the second quarter with a 28-yard field goal from Caleb Shudak at just over 11 minutes.
Though there were no touchdowns in the second quarter, Kentucky dominated the board.
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis got sacked twice in the second for a loss of eight yards each, but he made up for his second sack on the very next play.
On the third down, he threw a 34-yard bomb to wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who simultaneously nullified the 26 yards needed for the next first down plus gained eight for Kentucky. With 2:45 left in the first half, Kentucky’s Matt Ruffolo kicked a 21-yard field goal on the fourth down, since Iowa defense blocked the run game–which Kentucky quarterback Will Levis attempted himself.
Just as the clock hit zero for halftime, Iowa’s final play, Spencer Petras’ touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta, was intercepted by Kentucky’s Quandre Mosely right in the end zone, conveniently switching possession to Kentucky for third quarter.
Kentucky Wildcats #10 wide receiver Chauncey Magwood is unable to hold onto a pass as Iowa Hawkeyes #33 defensive back Riley Moss defends during the second half of the Vrbo Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, January 1, 2022. (Photo by Harry Castiblanco / Florida National News)
Second Half
With 3:21 left in the third quarter, Iowa finally got on the board with their first touchdown, courtesy of Arland Bruce IV running the ball 20 yards into the end zone. With the successful extra point, Iowa shrank Kentucky’s lead to 13-10.
Iowa scored their next touchdown–and snatched the lead–in the fourth quarter with just under 11 minutes left in the game, thanks to Spencer Petras’ successful 36-yard touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta, making the score 17-13.
Kentucky Wildcats #1 Wan ‘Dale Robinson ran into the end zone for a touchdown was nullified due to a false start penalty on Kentucky during the Vrbo Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, January 1, 2022. (Photo by Harry Castiblanco / Florida National News)
When the win looked sure for Iowa, Kentucky made the ultimate comeback with Will Levis’s 52-yard pass to Wan’Dale Robinson who ran it into the end zone for a touchdown. In a pulse-pounding moment, the touchdown was nullified due to a false start penalty on Kentucky.
On the next play, Kentucky doubled down and got the touchdown for real thanks to Chris Rodriguez’s five-yard rush with 1:48 left in the fourth, reclaiming the lead, 20-17.
To add insult to injury, on Iowa’s following possession, Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras’ pass got intercepted by Deandre Square with just 48 seconds left in the game.
In the end, the Kentucky Wildcats nabbed the Vrbo Citrus Bowl trophy from the jaws of near-defeat, 20-17.
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Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com
Bulls move to 4-1 as Hartline turns attention toward corrections and the week ahead
TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — South Florida’s unbeaten start ended Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium as Temple defeated the Bulls 17-13. USF struck first behind a Nico Gramatica field goal but went into halftime trailing 10-3 before finding momentum after the break.
USF responded in the third quarter as D.J. Crowther’s one-yard touchdown tied the game at 10.
USF and Temple battle at the line of scrimmage. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News
The Bulls’ defense added a key stop when No. 1 C.J. Hicks recovered a Temple fumble in the end zone. Gramatica later connected from 49 yards to give USF a 13-10 fourth-quarter lead. Temple answered with the defining possession of the night, driving 96 yards before quarterback No. 13 Ajani Sheppard scored on a 34-yard run to put the Owls ahead for good.
Temple’s 96-yard fourth-quarter drive became the turning point in the 17-13 finish.
Joshua Porter sprints for catch with Adrian Laing closing in for Temple. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News
USF was unable to answer late, dropping to 4-1. Following the game, head coach Brian Hartline focused on returning to the film, correcting the mistakes that surfaced and making sure the Bulls use the loss to improve heading into the next week.
FINAL: Temple 17, USF 13
Up Next: USF travels to San Antonio to face UTSA on Thursday night.
– Nisey Spruill is a reporter and photojournalist for Florida National News (FNN), covering major news, sports and special events across Florida and nationwide. Contact sports@FloridaNationalNews.com
The Bulls erase a six-point deficit and leave Ohio 4-0 for the first time since 2018.
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (FNN SPORTS) — The first three quarters belonged to a low-scoring game. The fourth belonged to South Florida.
Bowling Green entered the final quarter ahead 6-0, but USF’s defense had kept the margin small enough for one possession to change the direction of the game. Three quiet quarters did not decide this one. The final quarter did.
That opportunity came after a fourth-down stop near midfield.
USF Head Coach Brian Hartline reviewing play. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News.
D.J. Crowther helped move the Bulls downfield, and Luke Kromenhoek finished the possession with a two-yard touchdown run to put USF ahead 7-6.
Crowther was back at the center of the next scoring drive, ending a 72-yard possession with a one-yard touchdown. He finished the afternoon with 143 rushing yards on 23 carries.
Bowling Green’s final drive reached USF territory, but Asani Redwood recorded a late sack before the Falcons came up two yards short on fourth-and-16.
USF walked away with the 14-6 win and its first 4-0 start since 2018.
– Nisey Spruill is a reporter and photojournalist for Florida National News (FNN), covering major news, sports and special events across Florida and nationwide. Contact sports@FloridaNationalNews.com
