5 Things You Need to Know About the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks

Alright, folks. It is football time in the Bluegrass! Your Kentucky Wildcats kickoff the 2022 season against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday night at Kroger Field.

Expectations are as high as they have ever been entering a football season in Lexington. A 10-win season seems to have become an expectation for many members of Big Blue Nation. Others have gone so far as to make hotel reservations in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. However, those long term goals don’t matter once the ball is kicked off against the RedHawks.

Miami (Ohio) was picked to win the East Division of the MAC by the media garnering 20 of 24 first place votes. In the coaches poll, the RedHawks were picked second coming up just one point shy of Kent State. This is a football team coming off of a 7-6, 5-3 season that included a Frisco Football Classic win over North Texas. Fans in Oxford expect a winning team.

As always, make sure to check out the Scouting Report put together by Adam Luckett and Freddie Maggard’s plan on how Kentucky Beats Miami (Ohio). Now, let’s dive into five things you need to know about the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks.

Talented Quarterback Leads RedHawks Big Play Offense

Brett Gabbert is back for his fourth season as the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks starting quarterback. If that name sounds familiar, it is because he is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Blaine Gabbert. The 6’0″ redshirt junior has started since his true freshman season in Oxford, but missed three games last year due to injury. The absence was very clear on the field for the RedHawks.

In 10 games with Gabbert at quarterback Miami (Ohio) put up 31.6 points per game. That is in comparison to just 20 points per game in the three contests without their offensive leader.

Gabbert is at his best when hunting big plays. Over 20% of his throws resulted in 15+ yard gains and he had eight passes go for over 50 yards last season. He is going to air it out and test the Kentucky secondary on Saturday night. If the ‘Cats can negate, or at least limit, the explosive plays it will be hard for the RedHawks to score enough to win.

Veteran Receivers at Gabbert’s Disposal

Two super seniors and a redshirt senior will be the starting wide receivers for the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks. Mac Hippenhammer is the top returning pass catcher after pulling in 48 balls for 786 yards last season. The former Penn State transfer averaged 16.4 yards per catch. Fellow super senior Jalen Walker is a small, quick receiver who went for 31 receptions and 398 yards. Finally, Miami (Ohio) went to the transfer portal and brought in redshirt senior Miles Marshall from Indiana. The 6’4″ receiver caught 57 passes for 797 yards during his career in the Big Ten.

Brett Gabbert will certainly have some talent around him to help put points on the board for the RedHawks. This is a veteran laden passing attack with some continuity plus the talent infusion from the Big Ten with Miles Marshall. Kentucky’s pass defense will be put to the test right away in Week One.

Miami (Ohio) Features Offensive Line Continuity

Returning four starters in the trenches including 71 total starts is a good recipe for success up front. That is what the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks feature on their offensive line. Starting center Rusty Ferth is the best of the bunch with 22 starts under his belt. The 6’5″ 304 pound redshirt junior leads a position group that should be on of the best in the MAC this season.

The Miami (Ohio) offensive line fits with the theme of seniority and experience on the offensive side of the ball. There is a lot of continuity on that side of the ball for head coach Chuck Martin to play with. However, the talent that Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White has at his disposal should still win the day for the ‘Cats. This will be a good Week One measuring stick for where the Wildcats are at defensively in 2022.

Transfer Portal Departures Take Havoc With Them

The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks defense finished tied for seventh nationally with 7.8 tackles for loss per game in 2021. They also had a 8.6% sack rate which was 20th in the country. However, three of their top havoc producers left Oxford via the transfer portal. 79.4% of the defense’s tackles for loss will now be suiting up for Cincinnati, Virginia, and Kansas this season.

As for those returning on the RedHawks defense, Matthew Salopek is back after an All-MAC season. The redshirt junior linebacker produced 112 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and six pass breakups. Salopek will be the leader of the defensive unit as they look to replace over half of their starting positions.

Experience in the RedHawks Secondary

After collecting seven pass breakups and interceptions in 2021, John Saunders Jr. returns to the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks secondary for his redshirt sophomore season. The 6’2″ corner will be one of the better defensive players on the RedHawks roster. Fellow cornerback Jacquez Warren is back as well after starting several games and recording an interception in their bowl win over North Texas.

Coach Martin dipped into the transfer portal once again to add some veteran depth to the secondary. Redshirt senior Michael Dowell comes to Oxford from Michigan State where he started four games a season ago. East Carolina and Mercer transfers also join the RedHawks secondary.

How Kentucky’s new receivers mesh with Will Levis against this Miami (Ohio) secondary will tell a lot about where their chemistry sits early in the season.