Blue Preview: In 2022 debut, UK pass defense must stop younger brother of NFL QB
Miami (Ohio) at No. 20 Kentucky
When: 7 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 3).
TV: None. (Game broadcast is only available via internet streaming on ESPN Plus or SEC Network Plus, which is available for a fee via the ESPN App, with the following announcers: Play-by-play, Mike Morgan; analysis, Tom Ramsey; sideline, Coley Harvey).
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1.
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 190; Sirius Channel 135, Internet Channel 961.
Records: Kentucky (10-3, 5-3 SEC in 2021); Miami (Ohio) (7-6, 5-3 MAC in 2021).
Series history: Kentucky leads 8-4-1 and has won the past three meetings.
Most recent meeting: Kentucky rolled up a whopping 675 yards of total offense as the Wildcats gave Mark Stoops his first victory as UK head coach with a 41-7 win over Miami on Sept. 7, 2013, at the venue then known as Commonwealth Stadium.
Line: Kentucky is favored by 20 points.
The story line
Mark Stoops (59-53 since 2013) seeks to tie Bear Bryant (60-23-5 from 1946-1953) as Kentucky’s all-time wins leader as the No. 20 Wildcats begin a season of high expectations against the favorites to win the Mid-American Conference East Division. UK will be seeking to extend its nation’s-best, 16-game win streak vs. non-conference opponents
The number to watch
Kentucky’s turnover margin. After UK won 10 games last season in spite of finishing 126th out of 130 FBS teams in TO margin at minus-11, improved ball security could be the key for the Wildcats taking the proverbial next step.
The big threat
Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert. The younger brother of ex-Missouri and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Blaine Gabbert ended 2021 on a tear. In Miami’s final five games, the 6-foot, 205-pound St. Louis product threw for 1,705 yards (an average of 341 a game) with 17 touchdowns vs. four interceptions. Gabbert will be a good opening test for a UK pass defense hoping to demonstrate improvement after getting strafed last year by the high-level pass attacks of Georgia, Mississippi State and Tennessee.
On the spot
New UK offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach will only have one chance to make a first impression running the Kentucky offense. Injuries and a suspension might have the offensive unit Scangarello is directing down to two returning starters from last season, so it will be interesting to see how polished a Kentucky “O” with lots of new faces in key places will look.
The mood
Is expectant. Fan enthusiasm entering this season seems to be at its Stoops-era high. It will be a massive sign of program progression if a UK team that returns only 11 starters from last year’s 10-3, VRBO Citrus Bowl championship team can live up to the BBN’s lofty expectations for 2022.
