The RedHawks nab a crucial road win to buoy their spirits after a rough first half of the season.
The Miami RedHawks (2-4, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) were at a crossroads coming into Ypsilanti, Michigan on Saturday afternoon. If they couldn’t take down Eastern Michigan (4-2, 1-1 MAC) on the road, they’d be staring down the barrel of a 1-5 record and an 0-2 start to the conference slate in their title defense campaign with six games remaining.
But take down the Eagles, they did, as the RedHawks showed off their offensive efficiency and defensive prowess in a dominating 38-14 victory over EMU on Saturday night.
Miami, known for long, clock-churning drives, flipped the script on its head on the opening play, with Brett Gabbert connecting deep with Reggie Virgil on a 75-yard pass to go up 7-0 right off the bat.
The Eagles put on their best Miami cosplay on the next possession, assuming the role with aplomb by finishing a 12-play, 75-yard drive over 4:46 of game clock with a Cole Snyder QB sneak play to tie the game back up with 10:04 remaining.
The teams stalemated from there, with four punts in a row before a crucial turning point at the start of the second quarter.
After re-possessing the ball on a punt in Miami territory, the Eagles got aggressive, opting to go for it on fourth-and-one at the Miami 37-yard line to extend the drive. Instead, Matt Salopek forced the four-yard loss and a fumble on Delbert Mimms III, with Silas Walters scooping up the lost ball.
Seven plays later, Brett Gabbert tossed his second touchdown pass of the day— this time to Connor Briggs from five yards out— to go up 14-7 with about 10 minutes to go in the first half.
It got worse from there for the home team, as two possessions later, a holding penalty on Mack Indelstad negated an 11-yard first down reception to create second-and-20 from their own 22-yard line.
Matt Salopek would be the hero once again, intercepting EMU quarterback Cole Snyder on the newly-created play, giving Miami the ball at the EMU 34-yard line with 3:35 to go in the first half of play. As he had on the previous turnover, Brett Gabbert would make good with his arm, finding Reggie Virgil for the duo’s second connection of the day (and Gabbert’s third scoring toss) on a 35-yard strike to go up 21-7 just before the halftime break.
The Eagles would get one last drive to try and put points on the board, but the typically-reliable Jesus Gomez missed from 37 yards out, leaving the Eagles without an answering salvo.
EMU, however, did get a chance to redeem themselves by taking the half-opening kickoff, taking the ball 56 yards over 13 plays to start the third quarter to set up a fourth-and-two from the Miami five-yard line.
The direct snap to Delbert Mimms III would end in a gain of one yard, turning the ball over after a clock-draining drive that eclipsed the seven-minute mark. It was one of a few questionable decisions on the day for EMU, as the playcall was almost an exact carbon-copy of the play before.
The Eagles defense did their best to stand on their heads after the offense’s second redzone trip ending in zero points, forcing a three-and-out punt. The offense re-paid them four plays later, with Delbert Mimms III finally making a positive contribution to the scoreboard with a one-yard rushing score to cut the deficit to 21-14 with 2:41 to go in the third quarter.
That’s as far as EMU could go, however, as they’d go three-and-out on their next two possessions and a turnover-on-downs on their last full drive, while Brett Gabbert added a fourth passing touchdown to the ledger, Dom Dzioban contributed a 44-yard field goal and Jordan Brunson ran one in from 18 yards out with 90 seconds left to take home the 38-14 victory.
Brett Gabbert looked like his old self in the win, with four touchdowns and no interceptions and 222 yards on 10-of-13 passing. The eternal Keyon Mozee hit the century mark in yards on 16 attempts, while Brunson had six rushes for 65 yards. Reggie Virgil finished his night with 113 yards and two touchdowns on three receptions to lead the RedHawks receiving corps.
Eli Blakey (18) and Corban Hondru (16) collected double-digit tackles to lead the Miami defense, doubling the number of third-place tackler Matt Salpoek (eight.) Salopek, however, was the key to victory, with a strip sack and an interception on Cole Snyder to get the RedHawks into scoring position twice. Brian Ugwu and Ty Wise each had 1.5 sacks to lead the team, while Silas Walters had three pass break-ups and a fumble recovery.
For Eastern, Cole Snyder struggled in the air, finishing 27-of-42 for 211 yards and an interception— though he did finish second on the team in rushing yards (37) and scored once.
Delbert Mimms III was the top rusher on that list, ultimately collecting 25 rushes for 78 yards and a touchdown. Tight end max Reese led the Eagles with seven catches for 50 yards, with senior receiver Terry Lockett close behind with four catches and 43 yards.
Luke Murphy finished as EMU’s best defender on the day, with 10 tackles and a tackle-for-loss. Joey Zelinsky notched the team’s only other solo TFL, with four players combining for a half-TFL on the day.
EMU stays home to host the first leg of the Michigan MAC Trophy series, taking on the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday, Oct. 19th at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
Miami also has a rivalry game on the menu next Saturday, hosting the Ohio Bobcats for the latest edition of the Battle of the Bricks. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Eastern time.