College Football 9/5/09
Kentucky Wildcats (SEC)-Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (MAC)
By Mark • Saturday, September 5th, 2009 12 PM EST
Miami (Ohio) (0-0) vs. Kentucky (0-0)
Line-Kentucky -14.5
These teams last played each other since 1991, so there isn't any history to speak of and neither have much in common. There weren't many positives in ‘08 to draw from for Miami, as their 2-10 record pretty much summarizes the season. The Redhawks do have their top offensive performers back in 2009 but the offense as a whole was largely unproductive. Ranked #90 in total yards (326) and #107 in points (18) the Redhawks just couldn't sustain drives or score. Daniel Raudabaugh had over 1,900 passing yards and did a decent job of spreading the wealth as Chris Givens was Miami's leading receiver with just over 500 yards. Thomas Merriweather led the rushing attack with nearly 550 yards, but running the ball was a contradiction in terms as the Redhawks only produced 108 yards per contest. To make a long story short; points were at a premium and with their sieve like defense giving up 33 per game, Miami (Ohio) was generally playing catch up soon after the opening gun. Stopping the run was the most glaring problem as opponents gashed the Redhawks for 218 yards on average. Opposing quarterbacks found little need to throw with that type of production.
Kentucky didn't exactly have a banner year in any offensive category, as they managed just 23 ppg on an average output of 300 yards. What kept the Wildcats competitive was a staunch defense that allowed a respectable 333 yards per game good for #40 in the nation yet was even better in the category that matters most; points. The Wildcats gave up 22 points a game which had them ranked at number 35 nationally which is pretty solid or is it? No less than seven of their games were against teams ranked outside the top 80 in scoring. Kentucky was 4-3 in those games and allowed an average of 27 points in those losses. Of their 7 wins on the year, the highest ranked offense was Louisville at #70. So what is the deal? Part of the issue could be the competition in the SEC where the saying ‘on any given day' applies. Either that or the Wildcats were not as advertised, but I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle.
The Wildcats and Redhawks both return 7 players on offense and 5 on defense. Neither was a good cover team as Kentucky was 6-6 ATS and 3-2 on the road, while Miami was 4-6 against the number and an even poorer 1-4 at home. The discussion about the strength of Kentucky's defense could be a mute point with half their unit gone and could the Redhawks be any better on a unit that had problems to begin with? I think the logical mind would give the SEC the nod over the MAC in terms of the quality of teams each conference has. That being said, is Kentucky worthy of such a high spread? Until proven otherwise...
Marks Pick: Kentucky -14.5
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