Last week, Billy Napier’s squad put forth a strong performance against the favored Tennessee Volunteers, but unfortunately, they came up short, losing in overtime 23-17.

The loss to the Vols also resulted in an injury to a key player, who has unfortunately been confirmed as unavailable for the matchup against Kentucky. The player in question is none other than RB Montrell Johnson Jr., the leading rusher for the Gators this season.

The news was confirmed by ESPN’s college football insider Pete Thamel, who noted on X, formerly Twitter, that despite being listed as questionable, it is believed that the RB will not play against the Wildcats: “Florida RB Montrell Johnson Jr is out against Kentucky, per the SEC injury report. He’d be listed as questionable.”

Mertz serious injury

The absence of RB Johnson Jr. wasn’t the only injury concern from the recent game against Tennessee. HC Napier also had to contend with a serious injury to starting QB Graham Mertz, who is believed to be out for the remainder of the season.

‘Florida quarterback Graham Mertz is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury he suffered during the Gators’ loss to Tennessee Saturday night, a source tells 247Sports and CBS Sports.’ the statement emphasized the gravity of the situation following the news of the serious injury.

Mertz sends message following injury

Once the injury was confirmed, sidelining the quarterback for the remainder of the season, Mertz reached out to Gators fans with an encouraging message about the future.

“Thank you for two incredible years in Gainesville. Unfortunately, I suffered a torn ACL against Tennessee and will miss the remainder of the season. During my recovery, I will remain a part of the program and do whatever I can in meeting rooms and from the sideline to help my teammates win. I want t thank everyone for the outpouring of support during this time.” Mertz stated.

Kentucky didn’t have a good season based on their 7-5 record. They had a good start with four wins in a row, but then everything changed since that was followed by a 3-5 mark. The Wildcats lost three of their last five matchups, so they need a victory to end the tournament well. Their latest clash was a 26-13 win over the Louisville Cardinals.

Iowa had the exact same record than their rivals. The main difference in that 7-5 is that they were able to have a good finish of the year. They lost their last appearance 24-17 to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, although they were improving until that point with four consecutive victories. The Hawkeyes should rely on their fantastic defense to win.

Kentucky vs Iowa: Date

Kentucky will take on Iowa in the Music City Bowl of the 2022 NCAA College Football Season this Saturday, December 31 at 12 PM (ET). The game will be played at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Kentucky vs Iowa: Time by State in the US

ET: 12 PM
CT: 11 AM
MT: 10 AM
PT: 9 AM

How to watch Kentucky vs Iowa in the US

The game between Kentucky and Iowa in the Music City Bowl of the 2022 NCAA College Football Season will be available to watch or live stream on FuboTV (free trial) in the US. ABC is the other option.