The RedHawks seek to become the first back-to-back MAC champion since 2011 and 2012 Northern Illinois.
The Miami (OH) RedHawks (8-4, 7-1 MAC) are aiming for uncharted territory, in terms of the Mid-American Conference’s recent history.
No team has claimed back-to-back MAC championships since 2011 and 2012 Northern Illinois. In a conference laden with parity, but head coach Chuck Martin aims to establish a longstanding dynasty. Miami has already prevailed twice at Ford Field in the MAC Championship Game under Martin’s 11-year reign, doing so in 2019 against Central Michigan and again in 2023 against Toledo.
Both times Miami creeped into Detroit as the underdog, but now the RedHawks enter with the target on their back. They are the hottest team in the MAC and one of the hottest in the country, rattling off seven-straight victories to conclude the regular season. Let’s take a look how the RedHawks punched a ticket to Detroit for the second-consecutive year.
The journey
Expectations were higher than ever in Oxford, OH entering the 2024 season.
Miami was pegged the overwhelming favorite to win the MAC, receiving preseason first-place votes from nine of the league’s 12 coaches. The RedHawks’ hype was well warranted. Not only did Miami return the bulk of its coaching staff, including head coach Chuck Martin, offensive coordinator Pat Welsh, and defensive coordinator Bill Brechin, but a good portion of the 2023 MAC title team vowed to run it back.
The RedHawks returned a starting quarterback, a slew of veteran running backs, two of their top three receivers and their tight end, four starting linemen, and the majority of the defense including three players with at least nine tackles for loss in 2023, led by the MAC Defensive Player of the Year.
But then the season started and Miami realized games weren’t won on paper. The RedHawks endured a tough non-conference slate to start the year, facing Northwestern, Cincinnati, and Notre Dame, while holding status as the only MAC team without an FCS opponent on the schedule. The RedHawks dropped all three of those contests for an 0-3 start, and they failed to reach the end zone in two of them — a 13-6 loss at Northwestern in the opener and a 28-3 loss at Notre Dame. In fact, Miami was 24 seconds away from going 11-straight quarters without a road touchdown to start the season.
The first third of the season was a brutal offensive stretch for Miami, but the defense showed signs of promise during the daunting start. To this day, the RedHawks are one of three teams that held Notre Dame below 30 points, and they held a 3-0 lead over the Fighting Irish until the final four minutes of the first half.
As one of 12 remaining winless teams headed into Week 5, Miami then seemingly caught a break, drawing a winless UMass with a brutal recent history vs. MAC teams. But Miami was on the verge of an alarming defeat with the Minutemen sunk a go-ahead field goal with 40 seconds left. The RedHawks then fled down the field in a hurry and set up a 47-yard time expiring field goal for Dom Dzioban — the replacement of reigning Lou Groza Award winner Graham Nicholson. Dzioban sunk the kick and then nailed the game-winner in overtime, while UMass missed its 44-yard attempt.
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All Miami needed to see was one win, and the rest was history. The RedHawks lost the following week in the MAC opener at Toledo, as the Rockets exacted revenge for the 2023 MAC Championship result. It was the roughest performance Miami’s defense witnessed all season. Toledo served as the only opponent to score 30 on the RedHawks all year, and Miami enters the MAC title game holding 25-straight opponents to 30 or below.
Situated 1-4 without more than 20 points in regulation scored, Miami reinvented its entire season in Week 7, injecting life into a previously dormant offense. Brett Gabbert fired four touchdowns on 13 attempts while Keyon Mozee rushed for 100 yards as the RedHawks dominated a 4-1 Eastern Michigan team, 38-14, on the road. The momentum continued in a 30-20 victory over Ohio in the Battle of the Bricks rivalry — a result not as close as the scoreboard indicated considering Miami’s 30-6 advantage with seven minutes remaining.
Gabbert’s deep ball continued to shine, while Mozee kept collecting 100-yard outings, and the offense hit a season-high 46 points in a 46-7 demolition of Central Michigan. Miami’s most dominant victory of the year reset the RedHawks’ record to .500, overcoming a slow start with a three-game win streak.
The calendar then shifted to November where the RedHawks emerged in another rivalry game, fending off a late Ball State comeback to win the Redbird Rivalry. Miami’s defense dominated the remainder of its midweek slate, upending Kent State 34-7 and Northern Illinois 20-9 in lower-scoring bouts — holding three opponents to single-digits in a four-game stretch.
Six consecutive wins set up a do-or-die road game at Bowling Green with MAC Championship stakes on the line. A Bowling Green win sent the Falcons to Detroit for the first time since 2015. A Miami win punched a return ticket for Martin and the RedHawks. In the most important game of the year, both sides of the ball brought it for Miami. The RedHawks utilized Gabbert’s three touchdown passes and Mozee’s 108 yards to post 28 points on Bowling Green and they only yielded 12 in the form of a touchdown, a field goal, and a safety.
Miami successfully spoiled Bowling Green’s senior day and landed in the 2024 MAC Championship Game where it will face Ohio in a rematch of the Battle of the Bricks rivalry played on Oct. 19. Miami won the first matchup, but now the RedHawks, but the last two MAC title rematches (2023 Miami-Toledo and 2021 Northern Illinois-Kent State) saw different winners from the regular season. The RedHawks hope for the same result to remain seated on the throne for the second-straight year.
Players to watch
The quarterback that captained Miami’s first MAC Championship under Chuck Martin in 2019 and the quarterback guiding Miami to the 2024 MAC Championship are the same person. Sixth-year senior Brett Gabbert has been a staple in Oxford, and he’s held the starting duties when healthy throughout all six seasons.
But health has been an issue with Gabbert, and a gruesome leg injury caused the veteran quarterback to miss the 2023 MAC Championship Game. However, for the first time since his true freshman campaign in 2019, Gabbert survived a season free of injuries. He prepares to start his second MAC Championship, entering the matchup with 2,610 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions on the year.
Gabbert’s efficiency numbers may not jump off the charts, but his difficult profile of throws tells more of the story. The quarterback is susceptible to taking deep shots early and often, and that’s evidenced by his 13.7 yards per completion. He only eclipsed 300 yards once all season, but he connected on at least three touchdowns in four different outings. Interceptions were an issue for Gabbert toward the beginning of 2024, tossing seven during the RedHawks’ 1-4 start, but he recovered nicely, only throwing three over the course of Miami’s seven-game win streak.
While Gabbert operated with star receiver talent such as Jack Sorenson, Mac Hippenhammer, and Gage Larvadain over the years, this might be his deepest receiving corps. The triumvirate of Reggie Virgil, Javon Tracy, and Cade McDonald inflict plenty of damage on opposing secondaries, and each has multiple 100-yard outings this season. Tracy was especially on a tear to close the regular season, posting 75+ yards in five-straight games while scoring a touchdown in seven of his last nine. The 6’4” Virgil is the home run threat of the bunch. While he trails Tracy and McDonald in the receptions category, he’s first on the roster in yards thanks to a spectacular 20.2 per reception.
While Miami’s passing attack can be explosive, the RedHawks’ seven-game win streak is largely tied to the success of the run game. Keyon Mozee was Miami’s leading rusher out of the backfield in 2021 and 2022, but lost the role during Rashad Amos’ lone season on campus in 2023. Mozee reclaimed his No. 1 tailback duties, and the results have been glorious. The fourth-year RedHawk has 1,045 rushing yards on the year, and when he rushes for 100, Miami is 7-0 (8-0 when he rushes for 90), but when he rushes for 40 yards or fewer, the RedHawks are 0-4. Mozee is the mainstay in the backfield, but Kevin Davis provides an effective second fiddle while ranking fourth on the team in all major receiving categories.
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Football games are won in the trenches, and Miami’s offensive line has done an extraordinary job blocking for Mozee and Co. The RedHawks returned four starters from the 2023 MAC title team, and they offer plenty of size, as all four stand at least 6’6” and weigh above 300 pounds. The group is primarily anchored by the tackles, Reid Holskey and Will Jados, and collectively, they’ve allowed one sack or fewer five times during the seven-game streak.
Defensive is the RedHawks’ strong suit, and they’re as loaded as anybody in the MAC on that side of the ball. Miami is led by the 2023 MAC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Salopek. The outside linebacker just completed the rare feat of four-straight 100+ tackle seasons, becoming the first RedHawk in school history to do so. But his duties extend beyond operating as Miami’s chief run-stopper. In addition to eight tackles for loss, he ties for the team-high with three interceptions.
Inside linebacker Ty Wise is another component of Miami’s dangerous linebacking corps in its 4-2-5 defense. Wise has 63 tackles and nine tackles for loss this year as one of the most impactful defenders on a top 15 scoring defense. To further promote the backfield invasion, the RedHawks also present defensive end Brian Ugwu up front. Ugwu forced two fumbles this year and possesses 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks to rank fourth in the MAC in the latter of the three categories.
The secondary is headlined by true sophomore cornerback Raion Strader who is quickly rising into one of the best shutdown corners in the country. Strader is first in the entire FBS with 17 pass breakups, and he’s picked off two passes for an aerial defense which ranks 18th nationally. Silas Walters and Eli Blakey are other names to watch in the secondary, as Walters is third on the team in tackles (79) and second in pass deflections (11) while Blakey checks in at second in tackles (85). Finally, there’s outside linebacker Corban Hondru who isn’t exactly a member of the secondary but plays like it, featuring three interceptions as one of the MAC’s top coverage linebackers.
Strong special teams has always been a staple under Martin at Miami, especially in the kicking game. The RedHawks sent Sam Sloman to the NFL Draft in 2020 and produced Graham Nicholson, the first MAC player to win the Lou Groza Award for the best kicker. When Nicholson transferred to Alabama, Dom Dzioban seamlessly took over kicking duties. Dzioban is fourth in the FBS in most field goals made at 22, and he’s done so at an accurate rate, nailing 22-of-26 attempts.
Team statistics
Offense
- Scoring offense: 24.3 points per game (t-94th in FBS)
- Passing offense: 198-of-349 (56.7%), 2,733 yards, 23 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 7.8 yards per attempt, 13.8 yards per completion, 227.8 yards per game (68th in FBS)
- Rushing offense: 344 carries for 1,615 yards, 9 touchdowns, 4.7 yards per carry, 134.6 yards per game (90th in FBS)
- Red zone offense: 32-of-39 (82.1%); 16 touchdowns (4 rush, 12 pass), 16 field goals (89th in FBS)
- First downs: 207 first downs (70 rush, 120 pass, 17 penalties) (119th in FBS)
- Conversion rates: 46-of-140 (32.9%) on 3rd down (122nd in FBS), 3-of-8 (37.5%) on 4th down (t-123rd in FBS)
Defense
- Scoring defense: 17.3 points per game (t-11th in FBS)
- Opponent passing offense: 225-of-392 (57.4%), 2,164 yards, 7 touchdowns, 11 interceptions (t-47th in FBS), 180.3 yards per game (t-18th in FBS)
- Opponent rushing offense: 415 carries, 1,547 yards, 16 rushing touchdowns, 3.7 yards per attempt, 128.9 yards per game on average (37th in FBS)
- Sacks/tackles-for-loss: 29 sacks for 168 yards, averaging 2.42 sacks per game (t-40th in FBS); 67 tackles for loss for 273 yards, averaging 5.6 TFLs per game (t-61st in FBS)
- Red zone defense: 23-of-30 (76.7%), 18 touchdowns (14 rush, 4 pass), 5 field goals (23rd in FBS)
- Opponent first downs: 232 first downs (89 rush, 120 pass, 23 penalties) (t-57th in FBS)
- Opponent conversion rates: 70-of-173 (40.5%) on 3rd down (84th in FBS), 8-of-17 (47.1%) on 4th down (39th in FBS)
Special teams
- Kicking: 23-of-27 (85.2%) (27th in FBS), long of 51 (t-66th in FBS)
- Punting: 61 punts, 2,177 yards, 40.3 average (114th in FBS)
- Returning: 24 kickoff returns, 393 yards, 0 touchdowns, 16.4 average (118th in FBS), 16 punt returns, 112 yards, 0 touchdowns, 7.0 average (78th in FBS)