This Saturday (0-0) Miami (OH) will take on the (0-0) Kentucky Wildcats in their first game of the 2022 NCAA Football season. Kick-off will be at 7:00 PM EST inside Kroger Field. Both of these teams will be looking to start the season off on the right foot. They were also very involved in the transfer portal, as each of these teams looks slightly different.
Miami (OH) is coming into this one after going 7-6 in 2021 and scoring 28.9 PPG. They have a ton of veteran players on their roster and they will be looking to use their experience to their advantage.
The Kentucky Wildcats are entering 2o22 after another successful season in the SEC. Kentucky won their fourth straight bowl game and they scored the eighth most points in the SEC. They will be looking to attack in this one.
The Redhawks will be bringing back their veteran quarterback, Brett Gabbertt, as he grew for 26 touchdowns and 3,600 yards in 2021. He looked great and will be looking to lead this offense in 2022. Miami (OH) is also returning the majority of their offensive line, as they also have a ton of experience. They will have four starters coming back, as they allowed the 10th least amount of tackles for loss in 2021 and only 21 sacks. Watch for Gabbertt to look for Mac Hippenhammer and Jack Coldiron, as well. Hippenhammer finished last season with 48 catches and Coldiron is an incredible downfield threat, as he can make big plays for this offense. They also ran for 148.9 yards per game in 2021. Miami (OH) also averaged .9 turnovers per game in 2021, as they will be looking to bring that number down this season.
On the defensive side of the field, the Redhawks were also solid. According to Sports Reference, they allowed 23.1 P PG in 2021 and they gave up 368.9 yards of offense per game. Unfortunately, they did lose their leading tackler to Cincinnati and their top pass-rusher left for Virginia. Luckily, they did a great job bringing in their own transfers. They added Corey Suttle from Iowa State, Ty Wise from Indiana, and Michael Dowell from Michigan State. They beefed up their secondary and front seven, as this defense will still have a ton of skill. They also still have their second-leading tackler, Matthew Salopek playing linebacker with Ty Wise. These two will be the quarterbacks of the defense, as they continue to defend against the run and the pass. In 2021, the Redhawks gave up 146.4 rushing yards per game, as they will be looking to lower this average in 2022.