* We'll have Kentucky doing its press conference later tonight at approx 7 ET
IOWA HC KIRK FERENTZ:
* Ferentz says Mark Stoops has done an unbelievable job with the UK program for quite some time. Notes the family connection between the Stoops family and the Iowa program. A little personal touch to a good bowl matchup.
* Ferentz says Hawkeyes need some time to get away from football, physically and mentally, right now. I think you'll hear a similar comment from Stoops tonight.
* On Stoops' time as a player at Iowa... Coaching seemed to be in his blood. All those guys in the family were smart, students of the game. Shared a story of when Mark was on his visit to Iowa. The assistant on the team said if this wasn't a Stoops, he would have sworn there was no way he was a college football player. Looked extremely young at the time, like he was s 15.
* On Kentucky being built kinda like a Big Ten team... Ferentz says he hasn't seen a lot of teams outside of the league, will take a closer look at UK starting soon, but his sense is that UK has been built from a great foundation, wasn't a quick fix.
* "It took everything" for Iowa to reach 10 wins, Ferentz said, reiterating that they're pretty beat up right now.
* On whether he expects any players to opt-out, Ferentz says they'll start having those conversations this week. No sense of urgency on that, he adds. "You just want players to do what's in their best interest."
* Ferentz says he thinks Iowa was the first P5 school to offer Will Levis. Looked great at their camp. They ultimately lost out to Penn State on him, but thinks he's a "tremendous player" and a "first-class kid." Thinks he's done a great job at UK.
IOWA DB DANE BELTON:
* Going home to play. He's a Tampa native.
* On facing Wan'Dale Robinson when he was at Nebraska... Very elusive. Great player. "We have to be good at tackling."
* On facing an SEC team... It's a little exciting, Belton says. But at the end of the day, anyone you face in this type of bowl is going to be great competition no matter where they are from. "We'll have to bring our A game."
* On playing against Will Levis when he was at Penn State... Tough guy. Used him in run play a lot. "We'll have to be ready for that... We'll have to be physical." He has a new coordinator now, so may have to do some different things than they did when he was at Penn State.
IOWA OL TYLER LINDERBAUM:
* Linderbaum was Big Ten OL of The Year
* Linderbaum says he's not opting out of this game.
* Asked about Kentucky, Linderbaum says he's seen bits and pieces of the Cats' game from watching in the hotel waiting for their games. Thinks UK is pretty impressive. Did not know about their schemes or anything like that, but feels like the Cats will be a tough challenge.
IOWA HC KIRK FERENTZ:
* Ferentz says Mark Stoops has done an unbelievable job with the UK program for quite some time. Notes the family connection between the Stoops family and the Iowa program. A little personal touch to a good bowl matchup.
* Ferentz says Hawkeyes need some time to get away from football, physically and mentally, right now. I think you'll hear a similar comment from Stoops tonight.
* On Stoops' time as a player at Iowa... Coaching seemed to be in his blood. All those guys in the family were smart, students of the game. Shared a story of when Mark was on his visit to Iowa. The assistant on the team said if this wasn't a Stoops, he would have sworn there was no way he was a college football player. Looked extremely young at the time, like he was s 15.
* On Kentucky being built kinda like a Big Ten team... Ferentz says he hasn't seen a lot of teams outside of the league, will take a closer look at UK starting soon, but his sense is that UK has been built from a great foundation, wasn't a quick fix.
* "It took everything" for Iowa to reach 10 wins, Ferentz said, reiterating that they're pretty beat up right now.
* On whether he expects any players to opt-out, Ferentz says they'll start having those conversations this week. No sense of urgency on that, he adds. "You just want players to do what's in their best interest."
* Ferentz says he thinks Iowa was the first P5 school to offer Will Levis. Looked great at their camp. They ultimately lost out to Penn State on him, but thinks he's a "tremendous player" and a "first-class kid." Thinks he's done a great job at UK.
IOWA DB DANE BELTON:
* Going home to play. He's a Tampa native.
* On facing Wan'Dale Robinson when he was at Nebraska... Very elusive. Great player. "We have to be good at tackling."
* On facing an SEC team... It's a little exciting, Belton says. But at the end of the day, anyone you face in this type of bowl is going to be great competition no matter where they are from. "We'll have to bring our A game."
* On playing against Will Levis when he was at Penn State... Tough guy. Used him in run play a lot. "We'll have to be ready for that... We'll have to be physical." He has a new coordinator now, so may have to do some different things than they did when he was at Penn State.
IOWA OL TYLER LINDERBAUM:
* Linderbaum was Big Ten OL of The Year
* Linderbaum says he's not opting out of this game.
* Asked about Kentucky, Linderbaum says he's seen bits and pieces of the Cats' game from watching in the hotel waiting for their games. Thinks UK is pretty impressive. Did not know about their schemes or anything like that, but feels like the Cats will be a tough challenge.
