Throw game, opportunistic defense helps Kentucky take care of Miami (Ohio)

After a scripted drive touchdown from Miami (Ohio) to begin the game on Saturday night, Kentucky faced some immediate adversity to begin the season. But the Wildcats settled in and flexed SEC muscles in a 37-13 win.

Behind a strong night from the passing game, some outstanding complementary football from the defense, and a couple of huge special teams plays, Kentucky distanced themselves from a solid MAC squad.

Kentucky earned the cover, but there was some rust that this team must knock off before making the trip to The Swamp next weekend. KSR is here live from the Kroger Field press box to dive into what we learned immediately after the Wildcats extended their non-conference winning streak to 17 games.

Let’s get to some takeaways.

Defense plays complementary football

After giving up a 12-yard completion on the first third down of the game, Kentucky allowed Miami (Ohio) to finish their opening drive with a touchdown as redshirt junior Brett Gabbert looked in total control for the RedHawks.

That wouldn’t last long.

Over the next nine possessions, the MAC contender put up only 4.2 yards per play on 52 snaps and could only muster a pair of field goals in three scoring opportunities. The Kentucky defense was able to hold the RedHawks to 4.4 yards per non-sack rush attempt and Gabbert posted a 42.9 percent success rate averaging only 5.9 yards per attempt as the Wildcats’ zone-heavy defense took away vertical throws.

A forced fumble gave the offense a short field early in the third quarter, and a three-and-out following a Will Levis interception gave Kentucky some big chances to bounce back quickly as Brad White’s unit picked up the team.

Throughout fall camp, the defense made some noise. That buzz seemed real on Saturday as Kentucky put the clamps on a good MAC offense with a dangerous passing game.

Kentucky’s passing game shows efficiency, explosiveness, and balance

Wan’Dale Robinson was at the game on Saturday, but the former star receiver at Kentucky is now a member of the New York Giants organization. There were a lot of questions surrounding what the passing game would look like under new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello without UK’s target monster.

The new look throw game passed the first test.

Will Levis produced a strong passing success rate (56.2%) and averaged an explosive 9.5 yards per attempt on 32 throws. Kentucky connected on three passes of 30-plus yards as nine different players recorded a reception.

Entering the contest, Kentucky appeared to have a huge edge in the passing game against a rebuilding Miami (Ohio) secondary and the offense took advantage of that mismatch on Saturday night. That was good to see.

The third phase makes a difference

Special teams play might not win you a bunch of games in college football, but it can certainly lose games. Just go ask Scott Frost and Nebraska about it.

Kentucky has tended to play it safe under Mark Stoops in the third phase. The Wildcats play smart and sound in the kicking game and try not to lose games.

On Saturday, UK showed that this year could be a little different as there was real playmaking displayed in multiple facets.

Barion Brown‘s kickoff return will be the story of the night, but that wasn’t the only big special teams play. A blocked punt by J.J. Weaver gave Kentucky an instant scoring opportunity with the game tied in the second quarter. A 50-yard field goal from Matt Ruffolo put points on the board and extended the Kentucky lead to three possessions in the second half.

Special teams immediately contributed to 13 points on Saturday. That’s not even counting a 23-yard punt return from Tayvion Robinson. Kentucky dominated field position (+11) against Miami (Ohio) as the third phase made a big impact on Saturday.

Running game has issues

At the end of the night, Kentucky rushed for 76 non-sack yards on 21 attempts. The Wildcats averaged 3.5 yards per attempt, had zero explosive plays on the ground, and ended the day with a bad success rate (33.3%).

It was a bad outing for Zach Yenser’s line who also gave up four sacks. The ground game never looked good, and there is probably some blame to go on the tailbacks. Meanwhile, both JuTahn McClain and Ramon Jefferson left the contest early with injuries.

Both Rich Scangarello and Mark Stoops mentioned that the offensive line has some work to do and that the passing game was a huge part of the package this week. However, Kentucky is not built to win games without an efficient running game. The Wildcats missed Chris Rodriguez Jr. in the opener, but the offense desperately needs better play from the offensive line.

Practice will be vital this week for Kentucky’s ground game. The Wildcats must get more production on the road against Florida to open up some play-action pass opportunities.

Dominant Middle 8

The last four minutes of the second quarter and the first four minutes of the third quarter are known as the Middle 8. This is a period where a team can put consecutive possessions together with the game resetting after the second quarter.

The winning team often separates itself in this short window. Kentucky dominated the Middle 8 on Saturday.

After the defense forced a three-and-out with Miami (Ohio) as the RedHawks went into four-minute offense mode, Kentucky converted a huge third down and got in position to kick a field goal at the second quarter buzzer to go up 13-10 heading into halftime. From there, the Wildcats took over the game.

Barion Brown opened the second half with a kick return touchdown to extend the lead to 10. A few snaps later, the defense forced a fumble setting up the offense for a goal-to-go situation that led to seven more points in two plays. In the blink of an eye, Kentucky went 17-0 in the Middle 8.

The home team dominated situational football on Saturday and it led to a blowout win.