MAC title contenders clash in the 100th Battle of The Bricks.
The MAC’s longest running rivalry continues with two teams looking to improve their MAC title game chances in this one when Ohio (4-2, 2-0 MAC) battles Miami (2-4, 1-1 MAC) this week.
Over the past few years, the game has gone back and forth on the scoreboard, with Ohio earning an impressive victory in 2022 to help punch their ticket to the MAC championship while Miami turned the tables in 2023 to do the same.
Who will prevail in this one is anyone’s guess as it should be a competitive matchup, but we will take a look at both teams after the game notes.
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday October 19, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Fred C. Yager Stadium, Oxford, Ohio
- TV network options: ESPN+. A valid cable subscription is required. Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Charlie Strong (color) will provide commentary.
- Radio options: Steve Baker (play-by-play) and Terry Bridge (color) will provide the Miami call for WMOH-AM 1450, while Marty Bannister [debut season] (play-by-play) and Rob Cornelius (color) will provide the Ohio call for WXTQ-FM 105.5.
- Gambling considerations: Per DraftKings, Miami is 3.5 point favorites with an over/under of 44 in the 100th edition of the Battle of the Bricks.
- All-time series: Miami leads, 55-42-2.
- Last Time: October 28, 2023, Miami won 30-16.
About the Miami RedHawks
Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images
If you listen to head coach Chuck Martin talk about his RedHawks, you’ll quickly learn that Miami football is complementary football: offense, defense, and special teams all working together, feeding off each other to win the game.
Miami is 1-1 in the MAC and trending towards its goal of complementary football. The loss at Toledo in the MAC opener was a matter of a stretch of seven minutes where the units were not complementary and the Rockets quickly scored 14 points. On his weekly show, Coach Martin’s assessment of the first score speaks to the issue:
“On offense, we had third and a half yard and got stuffed in the backfield,” Martin said. “You gotta get that first down and that was the start of the whole seven-minute debacle. Then we punt and we didn’t cover the punt and now Toledo is inside our 30. Our defense gets them behind the chains and a chance to hold them to a field goal, which is huge at that point, but they score (a touchdown). “
Last week against Eastern Michigan, besides a fumble, all units were working together for a decisive 38-14 win. The RedHawks especially put some critical plays together in the second quarter to sprint to a 21-7 lead as the defense forced two turnovers and the offense capitalized on the defense’s good play by scoring two touchdowns on short fields of 34 and 59 yards.
Defensively, the RedHawks are one of the more formidable squads in the MAC, allowing 22 points per contest for third best in the conference this season. Miami allowed just 44 total points in two MAC games including the uncharacteristic miscues against Toledo which led to 14 of those points.
Several key players from last year’s dominant 4-2-5 defense return, including linebackers Matt Salopek and Ty Wise and defensive lineman Brian Ugwu. Salopek leads the squad with 53 tackles while Wise and Ugwu are tied for team lead in sacks with 2.5. Wise has been banged up but played some snaps against EMU, finishing with 1.5 sacks.
Defensive back Eli Blakey was all over the field last week for the RedHawks, stacking 18 tackles on the day.
Offensively, the RedHawks are starting to roll, led by star quarterback Brett Gabbert. There is little the accomplished veteran has not seen during a career gaining more than 9,000 passing yards and 68 touchdown passes. Gabbert is not the dual-threat guy like Ohio’s Parker Navarro, but can hurt you in key spots as evidenced by his career 481 rushing yards and seven scores and will run if the opportunity and need arises.
“We felt closer the second half against Toledo, we did a lot of good things just timing-wise,” Martin said about his team’s improved passing attack in recent weeks. “And Saturday [vs. EMU] we carried a lot of that over, we ran routes, we threw and when the guys were open the ball was there and the protection was there.”
Gabbert has spread the ball around mostly to four receivers this year with leading receivers in catches including Cade McDonald (30) and Javon Tracy (23). Wideout Reggie Virgil leads the team in receiving touchdowns with three including a clutch catch after a big hit last week to secure the score.
The RedHawks have also spread the ball around on the ground at times, but veteran Keyon Mozee has emerged the last three weeks with two, one-hundred-yard games in that span to bring his career stats to 331 carries for 1,531 yards, a 4.6-yard average.
On special teams, Miami and the Bobcats share an issue at times in that injuries have forced a lot of younger players on to special teams with the challenges in coverage that can occasionally bring. However, the RedHawks do boast two specialists who can dominate any given week starting with the return of 2023 second-team All-MAC punter Alec Bevelhimer.
Also, kicker Dom Dzioban has hit more than 83 percent of his field goals this year including a clutch 47-yard bomb as time expired to force OT against UMass which the RedHawks eventually won on a Dzioban 43-yarder.
About the Ohio Bobcats
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Like the RedHawks, the ‘Cats are also about complementary football and finding a way to get it done in the end. At his weekly press conference, head coach Tim Albin summed up the plan in the Bobbies’ 27-25 win over Central Michigan:
“I told the team leading up the game, look, fellas, we got to find a way to get a road win, and I don’t care with the stats say… we’re gonna find a way to get a win,” Albin said. “They know the formula, all three phases… I just wanted to make a point of keep straining, keep straining, and find a way to get a win.”
Ohio found a way to do just that against a tough Chippewas squad to secure the victory. After CMU scored 18-straight to cut their deficit to six late in the contest, Ohio responded, moving the ball into field goal range where Gianni Spetic then drilled a clutch 46-yard field goal to give the ‘Cats the additional points needed to hold off the home team’s second half charge.
As for getting it done in all three phases, the Bobcats are generally successful starting with a 4-2-5 base defense that is keeping teams off the scoreboard with regularity, allowing just 17.5 points per game so far in MAC play.
The defensive line is led by defensive end Bradley Weaver with four sacks, but the group on the whole has been effective, led by regulars Bralen Henderson, Cam Rice, CJ Doggette, Ben McNaboe, and Marcel Walker-Burgess.
The linebacking corps is beginning to mend after early season injuries and features Shay Taylor and Blake Leake. The Bucknell (FCS) transfer Leake leads the squad with 45 tackles.
The leader on the back end is strong safety Austin Brawley, who has been a staple the last few years and is just six stops away from 100 career tackles.
Corner Tank Pearson has been a steady contributor to the defensive success all season and Mike Mack II has been an important contributor, moving around the back end of the defense to help where needed.
Offensively, Ohio has plenty of options in the playbook to work to their strengths and exploit the weaknesses of their opponents. This year’s crew starts with a strong running game led by dual-threat quarterback Parker Navarro, who is on fire for the most part in MAC play, leading the offense to 57 points in two weeks while combining for 640 total yards and five touchdowns.
Miami head coach Martin summarized Navarro’s running ability on this week’s show as not just a scheme guy but also an X-factor:
“He’s a threat to run with their zone read stuff, he’s a threat to run with some QB designed runs, but he is really scary in the scramble situations, making huge plays with his arm and his legs,” Martin opined. “He adds a scary element to their game.”
What Navarro can muster on the ground inside Miami’s 20-yard line may be especially critical this week as the RedHawks boast the MAC’s top-rated red zone defense.
Joining Navarro in the backfield and scary for opponents in his own right is running back Anthony Tyus III, leading the MAC in rushing with 595 yards.
Before Ohio’s game vs Kentucky this year, Wildcat defensive coordinator Brad White shared some thoughts about why Tyus III is so effective this year:
“I think he is really, really gifted in his contact balance, for being a big back that can run you over,” White said. “A lot of guys are like, “I’ll have to chop him down at the legs,” like he can absorb those blows in his legs, keep his balance and keep running, which makes it hard for second and third-level defenders that may not be able to get frontal tackles to get him to the ground.”
A key in the running game this week is also ball security. Ohio has a -7 turnover margin including multiple fumbles which really hasn’t impacted them so far in the win/loss column given there otherwise effective play but could in a tight game this week.
Paving the way for the running game, the offensive line has been a shuffled deck after losing both starting tackles to injury in the Akron game a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, the O-line led Ohio to 424 yards of offense last week and created some running room on gritty final drives late in the fourth quarter to secure the victory over the Chippewas.
Moving to the outside, wideout Coleman Owen has been the key factor in the passing game just about every week with his 514 yards receiving amounting to almost half of Ohio’s total passing yardage (1,033).
Watch too for sophomore wideout Chase Hendricks, who has 13 catches for 210 yards while showing a knack for making some tough catches this year with good speed and agility like on the 56-yard screen play last week.
In a game that could be close, like Miami, Ohio has their share of clutch specialists with kicker Gianni Spetic making all but one of his eight field goal attempts this year.