Week 7 for the Florida Gators in the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/ncaa">NCAAF</a> has a singular goal: to improve their record to 4-3. To achieve this, they must defeat the always challenging Kentucky Wildcats, a daunting task made even tougher by the absence of starting QB Graham Mertz, along with another key player from the team.



Last week, Billy Napier’s squad put forth a strong performance against the favored <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/tennessee-volunteers">Tennessee Volunteers</a>, 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 <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/kentucky-wildcats">Kentucky.</a> The player in question is none other than RB Montrell Johnson Jr., the leading rusher for the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/florida-gators">Gators</a> 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.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20241019_BUS_255479_Montrell-Johnson-Jr-1024x576_06cd4639.webp&amp;width=1024&amp;height=576" alt="Montrell Johnson Jr." class="wp-image-255512" srcset="https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Montrell-Johnson-Jr-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Montrell-Johnson-Jr-300x169.jpg 300w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Montrell-Johnson-Jr-768x432.jpg 768w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Montrell-Johnson-Jr-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Montrell-Johnson-Jr-740x416.jpg 740w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Montrell-Johnson-Jr-490x275.jpg 490w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Montrell-Johnson-Jr-250x140.jpg 250w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/Montrell-Johnson-Jr.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"></figure><figcaption>Graham Mertz #15 hands the ball off to Montrell Johnson Jr. #1 of the Florida Gators in the first half of a game against the UCF Knights at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on October 05, 2024 in Gainesville, Florida.</figcaption></figure>



<h2>Mertz serious injury</h2>



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.


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‘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.



<h2>Mertz sends message following injury</h2>



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.

NCAAF News: Not just Graham Mertz, Gators lose another key player ahead of Kentucky showdown

NCAAF News: Not just Graham Mertz, Gators lose another key player ahead of Kentucky showdown - Bolavip US

miniaturas

The Music City Bowl will feature Kentucky and Iowa at Nissan Stadium finishing their 2022 NCAA College Football Season. Check out the date, kickoff time and TV channel to watch or live stream the game for free. If you are in the US, you can do it through <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/collegefootball/?irad=399332&amp;irmp=3119684" rel="sponsored, nofollow noopener" target="_blank">FuboTV (free trial)</a>.
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.
<h2>Kentucky vs Iowa: Date</h2>
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.
<h2>Kentucky vs Iowa: Time by State in the US</h2>
ET: 12 PM CT: 11 AM MT: 10 AM PT: 9 AM
<h2>How to watch Kentucky vs Iowa in the US</h2>
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 <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/collegefootball/?irad=399332&amp;irmp=3119684" rel="sponsored, nofollow noopener" target="_blank">FuboTV (free trial)</a> in the US. ABC is the other option. 
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Kentucky vs Iowa: Date, Time and TV Channel to watch or live stream free the 2022 Music City Bowl in the US

Kentucky vs Iowa: Date, Time and TV Channel to watch or live stream free the 2022 Music City Bowl in the US - Bolavip US

Watch the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats (26-7) and the No. 15 Saint Peter's Peacocks (19-11) meet on Thursday to fight for a place in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The opening round matchup tips off at 7:10 PM on CBS.Kentucky lost on the road to Tennessee 69-62 last time out, and was led by Keion Brooks Jr. (19 PTS, 63.6 FG%) and Tyty Washington Jr. (17 PTS, 3 STL, 37.5 FG%). Saint Peter's defeated Quinnipiac 83-74 at home in its last game. Its top scorers were Daryl Banks III (16 PTS, 55.6 FG%, 3-3 from 3PT) and KC Ndefo (14 PTS, 11 BLK, 42.9 FG%).Look for all the detailed information about this NCAA men's basketball game including the date, time, TV channel and where to live stream it online for free. You can watch this game live in the US on <a rel='sponsored' href="https:\/\/www.fubo.tv/lp/collegebasketball/?irmp=3119684&irad=367782&sharedid=USA-BolaVIP-Match-College_Basketball-First_Round:_Saint_Peter's_vs._Kentucky-DS">FuboTV (7-day free trial).</a><h2>What time is Kentucky vs. Saint Peter's?</h2><ul><li>Game Day: Thursday, March 17, 2022</li><li>Game time: 19:10 ET, 18:10 CT, 17:10 MT, 16:10 PT</li><li>Arena: Gainbridge Fieldhouse</li><li>TV: CBS</li><li>Live Stream: <a rel='sponsored' href="https:\/\/www.fubo.tv/lp/collegebasketball/?irmp=3119684&irad=367782&sharedid=USA-BolaVIP-Match-College_Basketball-First_Round:_Saint_Peter's_vs._Kentucky-DS">Watch online with fuboTV!</a></li></ul><h2>Who are the key players for Kentucky?</h2><ul><li>Oscar Tshiebwe leads the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding, tallying 17.0 points and 15.2 rebounds per game.</li><li>Sahvir Wheeler leads Kentucky in assists, averaging 6.9 per game while also scoring 10.0 points per contest.</li><li>Kellan Grady leads the Wildcats in three-point shooting, making an average of 2.6 shots per game from beyond the arc.</li><li>Tshiebwe is Kentucky's leader in steals and blocks, racking up 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.</li></ul><h2>Who are the key players for Saint Peter's?</h2><ul><li>Banks averages 11.0 points per game and is the top scorer for the Peacocks.</li><li>Saint Peter's leader in rebounds is Fousseyni Drame with 6.8 per game, and its leader in assists is Matthew Lee with 2.9 per game.</li><li>Banks hits 1.6 three-pointers per game, the most on the Peacocks.</li><li>Ndefo's steals (1.3 steals per game) and blocks (2.7 blocks per game) pace Saint Peter's on defense.</li></ul><h2>Key stats for Kentucky vs. Saint Peter's</h2><ul><li>The Wildcats make 48.5% of their shots from the field this season, which is 10.2 percentage points higher than the Peacocks have allowed to their opponents (38.3%).</li><li>Kentucky has a 24-3 straight-up record in games it shoots higher than 38.3% from the field.</li><li>The Peacocks have shot at a 43.1% rate from the field this season, 2.0 percentage points above the 41.1% shooting opponents of the Wildcats have averaged.</li><li>This season, Saint Peter's has a 10-6 record in games the team collectively shoots higher than 41.1% from the field.</li><li>Saint Peter's is 6-2 ATS and 12-5 overall when the team hits more than 30.4% of its three-point attempts.</li><li>The Wildcats make 6.2 three-pointers per game this season, only 0.3 more makes per game than the Peacocks give up (5.9).</li><li>Kentucky is 11-1 when it makes more three-pointers than its opponents, while Saint Peter's is 5-6 in games when it is out-shot from deep.</li><li>The Wildcats are the 287th-best three-point shooting team in college basketball, while the Peacocks give up the 18th-fewest makes from deep.</li></ul><h2>Who is favored to win Kentucky vs. Saint Peter's?</h2><ul><li>Favorite: Kentucky</li><li>Spread: Kentucky -17.5</li><li>Total: 132</li><li>Moneyline: Kentucky -5000, Saint Peter's +1400</li></ul>If you want to watch the game live from the United States, tune in to <a rel='sponsored' href="https:\/\/www.fubo.tv/lp/collegebasketball/?irmp=3119684&irad=367782&sharedid=USA-BolaVIP-Match-College_Basketball-First_Round:_Saint_Peter's_vs._Kentucky-DS">fuboTV (7 Day Free Trial Streaming).</a>

Data Skrive

Find out how to watch the NCAA Tournament First Round matchup between Kentucky and Saint Peter's on March 17, including streaming TV options, game time, odds and more.

kentucky wildcats

NCAAF News: Not just Graham Mertz, Gators lose another key player ahead of Kentucky showdown

Kentucky vs Iowa: Date, Time and TV Channel to watch or live stream free the 2022 Music City Bowl in the US

How to watch Kentucky Wildcats vs. Saint Peter's Peacocks online: Streaming TV, game time and odds for March Madness First Round