Five things you need to know from UK football’s 37-13 win over Miami (Ohio)

Five things you need to know from Kentucky football’s 37-13 win over Miami (Ohio) in the 2022 season opener at Kroger Field:

1. Stoops ties the Bear. With the victory, Mark Stoops now stands 60-53 since 2013 as UK head coach. The 60 wins for Stoops ties Paul “Bear” Bryant (60-23-5 from 1946 through 1953) for the most victories by a head coach at Kentucky.

After beginning his UK tenure 12-26, Stoops has since gone 48-27.

For Stoops, the record-tying win came versus the same opponent, Miami, against whom he earned his initial win as UK head man. That came on Sept. 7, 2013, a 41-7 victory over Miami ignited by quarterback Maxwell Smith throwing for 310 yards and three touchdowns.

In season openers, Stoops is now 7-3 as Kentucky head coach.

2. Scangarello’s debut. Whether it is fair or not — and it’s not — the performance of the Kentucky offense in its first year with ex-San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello in charge will be compared throughout 2022 with how UK fared last year in Liam Coen’s one season as Wildcats’ OC.

In last season’s 45-10 opening win over Louisiana Monroe, the Kentucky offense produced 564 total yards, including 419 through the air.

The numbers were not as gaudy in the 2022 opener. UK finished with 353 total yards, including 300 through the air. Those numbers were limited by Kentucky returning the opening kickoff of the second half 100 yards for a touchdown and starting another drive at the Miami 8 following a fumble recovery/return.

In the 2021 opener, UK quarterback Will Levis completed 18 of 26 passes for 367 yards with four touchdown passes vs. only one interception.

Against Miami, Levis finished 21-of-32 for 303 yards with three touchdowns and one pick.

The biggest difference in the two openers was UK’s lack of a running game. In 2021, Kentucky had 145 yards on the ground. On Saturday night, UK managed only 50 net-rushing yards (a figure impacted by the Wildcats allowing four quarterback sacks).

Of course, in 2021, Kentucky had star running back Christopher Rodriguez, who did not play Saturday night for publicly unspecified reasons. Last season, UK also had a veteran offensive line that would go on to produce two NFL Draft picks.

The difference in personnel is why comparing Coen’s season in 2021 and Scangarello’s debut in 2022 will be problematic.

What we can say is that, for UK to come anywhere close to fulfilling its lofty preseason goals, it will have to play better on the offensive line than it did Saturday night.

3. Freshmen dazzle. The ballyhooed Kentucky recruiting class of 2022 very much lived up to its billing.

Barion Brown, billed as a dynamic playmaker, produced a 100-yard, kickoff-return touchdown and had a 38-yard reception among his three catches for 45 yards.

Freshman wideout Dane Key, playing in the venue once known as Commonwealth Stadium exactly 28 years to the night since his father, Donte Key was the hero of UK’s victory over Louisville in the modern renewal of the Governor’s Cup rivalry, caught four passes for 53 yards and a score.

True freshman nickelback Alex Afari was second on the UK team with six tackles.

Massive frosh defensive tackle Deone Walker, all 6-foot-6, 330 pounds of him, had four tackles, three of them solo.

Outside linebacker Keaten Wade was credited with three tackles as well as an emphatic pass breakup that blew up a Miami screen attempt.

4. Fans in the stands. The announced attendance at Kroger Field for Kentucky-Miami (Ohio) was 61,139. It was the largest opening-game crowd at UK since 62,933 saw the 2015 opener vs. Louisiana.

It was also the largest UK home crowd against a non-Power Five conference opponent since Kentucky vs. Eastern Kentucky drew 63,380 in 2015.

5. UK extends nation’s best win streak. With the win over MAC East Division preseason favorite Miami, Kentucky has now won 17 straight non-conference football games. That is the longest current such streak in FBS football.

UK last lost to a non-Southeastern Conference opponent in the 2017 Music City Bowl, a 24-23 defeat to No. 17 Northwestern of the Big Ten.

Since then, the out-of-conference teams UK has defeated in order are (conference affiliation in parentheses):

2018: Central Michigan (MAC), Murray State (OVC), Middle Tennessee State (C-USA), Louisville (ACC), No. 12 Penn State (Big Ten);

2019: Toledo (MAC), Eastern Michigan (MAC), Tennessee Martin (OVC), Louisville (ACC), Virginia Tech (ACC);

2020: No. 23 North Carolina State (ACC);

2021: Louisiana Monroe (Sun Belt), Chattanooga (Southern Conference), New Mexico State (independent), Louisville (ACC), No. 15 Iowa (Big Ten);

2022: Miami (Ohio) (MAC).

This year, UK still has non-league, regular-season games remaining with Youngstown State (Missouri Valley), Northern Illinois (MAC) and Louisville (ACC).

Fashion police

For the 2022 season opener, Kentucky wore blue helmets, blue jerseys with white letters and numbers and white pants.

UK has now worn blue, blue, white in six of its last eight season openers. With Saturday’s win, the Wildcats are 5-1 in those six games.