Previewing the Hometown Lenders Bahamas Bowl: Miami (Ohio) vs. UAB
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This is the preview for the Hometown Lenders Bahamas Bowl.
Miami (Ohio) vs. UAB (-11, 44)
Date: Friday, Dec. 16, 11:30 a.m. ET
Betting splits: 48% of bets, 69% of handle on UAB -11
Adam Burke: The 2022 bowl season officially kicks off in Nassau with the Hometown Lenders Bahamas Bowl featuring Miami of Ohio and UAB. The Blazers made a headline-grabbing hire of former NFL QB Trent Dilfer to be the head coach moving forward, so this will be current head coach (and former offensive coordinator) Bryant Vincent’s last game with the team. The move to hire Dilfer was met with resistance by the players, so there’s a good chance that they will rally around Vincent here.
Neither one of these teams played a tough schedule as the RedHawks played the 113th-ranked schedule per Jeff Sagarin, while the Blazers played the 121st. UAB finished up 14th in yards per play during the regular season with 6.77, while Miami of Ohio was 112th with 4.88. The teams performed about equally on defense, with Miami allowing 5.37 yards per play and UAB 5.42. That is a big yards per play differential for teams that played similar strengths of schedule.
Both teams even had quarterback injuries throughout the season, as UAB’s Dylan Hopkins and Miami’s Brett Gabbert missed time, with Gabbert missing a lot more. Head coach Chuck Martin is 1-2 SU in bowls, but 3-0 ATS, as his RedHawks have hung in there, including a near-upset of Mississippi State in the 2016 St. Petersburg Bowl. Vincent is in his first game as the head coach after being on the sidelines as the OC while Bill Clark went 2-1 SU and ATS in bowls.
Related links
Matchup page for Hometown Lenders Bahamas Bowl.
