In this regular Cats Illustrated featured, staff writers Jeff Drummond and Justin Rowland share their takes on today's season opener between UK and Miami (OH).
Why should Kentucky fans be optimistic about tonight's game?
Jeff Drummond: The biggest reason for optimism heading into the opener is having a proven quarterback returning in Will Levis and a lot of telent surrounding him at the skill positions. It's been somewhat rare the last 15 years that UK had little or no questions about QB1 entering the season. The only thing I'm curious about is whether Levis can elevate his level of play to match some of those first-round NFL Draft projections. If he can, the Cats are going to be a lot of fun to watch this season.
Justin Rowland: There are plenty of reasons to believe Kentucky is going to be just fine today. It's in Lexington so that's home field advantage. Mark Stoops has his best quarterback yet, and he's very experienced. UK has a talent and depth edge at every position on the field, and the Cats have managed to avoid upsets in games exactly like this as well as any program in the country over the last few years.
Why should Kentucky fans be concerned about tonight's game?
Drummond: I'm not sure if I would go so far as to label it as "concern," but we need to see what the revamped Big Blue Wall looks like, especially with the inexperience at left tackle. Protecting the "franchise quarterback" is the biggest key to this season.
Rowland: The Cats will be less than full strength but the biggest absence will be All-SEC running back Chris Rodriguez. UK should be able to run the ball even without C Rod and I'm not sure Miami (OH) has the pass rush capability to exploit UK's lack of experience at the tackle positions. The biggest thing for me would be the secondary not giving up big plays. It's early in the season and things can be a little crazy with teams still figuring it all out. Eliminating explosives that could tip the game into upset territory is the big thing to watch for in my mind.
What's your score prediction?
Drummond: Kentucky 33, Miami of Ohio 16. I think this one is close and competitive in the first half -- the RedHawks are a really solid challenge for a non-conference opener -- but the Cats gradually get separation late in the game as the O-Line and D-Line dominate the line of scrimmage.
Rowland: Kentucky 38, Miami OH 21. I'll go by the same margin and just call for it to be a little higher scoring. This seems like the kind of outcome that is customary for Kentucky in games like this. If the weather does not impact the game I would expect Kentucky to top 40 points.
Who will be Kentucky's MVP?
Drummond: Will Levis notches his third 300-yard passing performance as a Cat and spreads the ball around for a TD pass to at least one receiver, one tight end, and one back.
Rowland: Tayvion Robinson may not put up Wan'Dale's numbers from last year over the whole season, but I think he's primed for a big game and a statement as an experienced player who is eager to impress at his new stop.
