By Packy Moore
GAME NOTES
https://miamiredhawks.com/documents/2024/10/21/Game_Notes_-_2024_CMU.pdf
The Miami University football team plays host to Central Michigan on Saturday as the RedHawks look to continue their win streak. The 2 p.m. kickoff will be Miami’s annual Cancer Awareness and Senior Day Game.
About Miami
• Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (727), conference wins (319), MAC Championships (17) and bowl wins (8).
• Historically, Miami’s 727 career wins are third all-time among Group-of-Five programs, behind just Navy (744) and Army (734).
• Miami was 4-14 in Coach Martin’s first 18 Mid-American Conference games. Since then, the RedHawks are 44-18 in their last 62 games versus schools from the MAC.
• Miami captured its second MAC Championship in the last five years, defeating Toledo 23-14 last season. Chuck Martin won his first MAC Championship back in 2019.
• The RedHawks have been bowl-eligible seven of the last eight seasons. From 2006-15, Miami was bowl-eligible just twice.
• Since Oct. 15, 2016, Miami has lost back-to-back conference games just twice in that span (2017, 2022). Miami is 16-3 following a conference loss, dating back to midway through the 2016 campaign.
About Chuck Martin
• Chuck Martin was named Miami head coach on Dec. 3, 2013.
• He was named a 2023 Finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.
• Not only was he 74-7 in six years at Grand Valley State (2004-09), he has coached in seven national championship games in the past 21 seasons. Martin has an all-time head coaching record of 133-73.
• He has twice been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of the Year and has been a coordinator on both sides of the ball.
• Martin was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Grand Valley State University on Oct. 23, 2015.
Rocking The Cradle
With the win over Ohio last weekend, Head coach Chuck Martin cemented himself into Cradle of Coaches history. He had already coached more games (125) than any other RedHawk in program history and now, his 59 wins matches Randy Walker for most coaching victories in Miami football history.
About Central Michigan
Central Michigan is 3-4 overall and 1-2 in MAC play, but have lost back-to back conference games to Ohio (27-25) and Eastern Michigan (38-34). Quarterback Joe Labas has thrown for 1,114 yards and seven touchdowns, while Jordan Kwiatkowski is tops on the team with 61 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss.
Last Meeting Versus CMU
Boosted by strong performances from key offensive players and a formidable defense, Miami claimed a 28-17 victory over CMU back on Oct. 2, 2021. Miami threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns, while Matt Salopek added 14 tackles.
Series Vs. CMU
Saturday will be the 31st meeting between the two programs with the RedHawks holding a slight 16-13-1 advantage. Miami has won each of the last four meetings, dating back to 2016 and hasn’t lost at home since Oct. 5, 2013.
Ohio Recap
Miami defeated rival Ohio 30-20 Saturday in the Battle of the Bricks, handing the Bobcats their first conference loss. Brett Gabbert threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns for the RedHawks, while Keyon Mozee added 111 rushing yards and a score.
• Matt Salopek moved into eighth place on Miami’s all-time list for career tackles, passing Dustin Cohen (1996-99); Salopek made 10 stops to give him 455 for his career. Salopek added an interception for the second-straight week.
• Miami’s defense began the game forcing four-straight three-and-outs and did not allow a first down until midway through the second quarter.
• Brian Ugwu led Miami’s defense with 1.5 sacks.
• Savio Frazier and Eric Smith made their first starts for the RedHawks.
Senior Moment
Miami will honor 29 seniors prior to Saturday’s contest with the Chippewas: Alec Bevelhimer, Kolby Borders, Ambe Caldwell, Jack Coldiron, Preston Daniel, Kevin Davis, Dylan Downing, Savio Frazier, Brett Gabbert, Kobe Hilton, Reid Holskey, Jackson Izzard, Will Jados, Andre Johnson, Ryan Kahn, Cade McDonald, Nate Milanowski, Keyon Mozee, Charlie Nank, Dalton Norris, TJ Rush, Matt Salopek, Brian Shane, Corey Suttle, Brian Ugwu, Nick Walker, Nasir Washington, Ty Wise and John Young. In all, this senior class has played in 731 career games.
Wear Your Emotions on Your Helmet
In what has become a yearly tradition, the entire Miami University football team will be carrying a special message with them as they take the field on Saturday in Miami’s annual Cancer Awareness contest versus CMU. Each player’s helmet will feature a colored ribbon of their choice to symbolize how they have been affected by cancer. Overall, 30 players selected pink to signify those affected by breast cancer, while 12 picked blue (colon cancer and esophageal cancer). Other colors include: 11 black (melanoma), eight orange (kidney cancer and leukemia) four white (lung cancer), three yellow (bladder cancer, sarcoma/bone cancer), three green (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma/gallbladder/liver), two purple (bladder/pancreatic/testicular) and 1 yellow/gray (child brain cancer). Five players had no preference.
Mozee On Down
Helping with the recent offensive output has been senior running back Keyon Mozee. Mozee had just 60 combined rushing yards in the first three games. Since then, he has posted three 100-yard games and Miami is 3-0 when Mozee goes for 100-plus yards (UMass, EMU and Ohio).
Quick Strike
Over the past two weeks, Miami has had three 1-play touchdown drives. They opened the contest with a 75-yard touchdown pass in the win at EMU and in the third quarter versus the Bobcats, the RedHawks had a 58-yard touchdown run and a 28-yard touchdown pass on back-to-back drives.
Gabbert In The History Books
Brett Gabbert, who missed the last six games of the 2023 season with a leg injury, has made 45 starts in his career and is all over the Miami record books. He ranks third in program history with 9,455 passing yards, sixth in completion percentage (.591) and third in passing touchdowns (71). He is also 11 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards and is responsible for 78 touchdowns (71 passing, 7 rushing) in his career.
Balanced Passing Attack
Brett Gabbert has been spreading the ball around all season long. Miami has three different receivers averaging at least 44 yards receiving per game and his top targets have changed game-to-game. Cade McDonald led Miami in receiving in each of the first three games. Then Javon Tracy was tops on the team versus UMass and Toledo. Reggie Virgil had a career-best 113 yards receiving at EMU and then McDonald, Tracy and Virgil all scored touchdowns in the win over Ohio.
Trench Warfare
Miami’s offensive line is the most experienced unit on the 2024 roster. Reid Holskey has started each of the last 47 games for the Red and White and is followed by Will Jados (31), Kolby Borders (30), and John Young (21). Those four have combined to start 129 games and all four started all 14 games a year ago. Charlie Nank has made six starts at center and Greg Smith started last week versus Ohio. That is 136 starts combined for the offensive line.
Slow Starts
Slow starts are nothing new for Miami football, mostly due to the tough non-conference schedule the team plays every year. Since 2016, Miami continues to improve as the season moves forward. In the months of Aug./Sept. Miami is 13-23. In October, Miami is 18-14 and by the time they reach November, the RedHawks are 18-5.
Tackling Machine
Linebacker Matt Salopek, the reigning 2023 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, has 455 career tackles and has surpassed 100 stops in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The last time Miami had a player record 100-plus tackles three straight seasons was Matt Pusateri from 2002-04 and no RedHawk has ever secured 100-plus tackles in four-straight seasons. His 455 tackles ranks eighth all-time in program history.
47 And Counting…
Matt Salopek made his 47th start last week versus Ohio, but he is not the only defender that has played a ton of football on the defensive side of the ball. Kobe Hilton (42), Brian Ugwu (27) and Ty Wise (25) have all started at least 20 games.
All-MAC Specialty
Miami has a pair of All-MAC performers on special teams … both punters. Dom Dzobian was named a second-team All-MAC punter in 2022 and Alec Bevelhimer did the same in 2023. Dzobian, now Miami’s placekicker, has converted on 11-of-13 field goals this season, while Bevelhimer is averaging 41.5 yards per punt in 2024.
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