By Nicole Bernard
GAME NOTES
https://miamiredhawks.com/documents/2024/11/7/Game_Notes_-_2024_Kent_State.pdf
The Miami University football team looks for its fifth-straight victory on Wednesday, Nov. 13 as it plays host to Kent State. Opening kick is slated for 7 p.m. and will be carried live on ESPNU.
About Miami
• Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (729), conference wins (321), MAC Championships (17) and bowl wins (8).
• Historically, Miami’s 729 career wins are third all-time among Group-of-Five programs, behind just Navy (744) and Army (735).
• Miami was 4-14 in Coach Martin’s first 18 Mid-American Conference games. Since then, the RedHawks are 46-18 in their last 64 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 135-73.
• He is 61-66 all-time at Miami (48-32 in MAC play) and has won more games at Miami than any other coach. The previous high was held by Randy Walker (60 wins).
• 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.
About Kent State
Kent State is 0-9 on the season and is coming off a 41-0 loss to Ohio back on Nov. 6. Offensively, they average 15.1 points per game, and have seen four different quarterbacks throw passes this year. Defensively, Josh Baka is tops on the team with 66 tackles and four pass breakups.
Last Meeting Versus The Golden Flashes
Brett Gabbert threw for 216 yards and one touchdown and the Miami Undefense held Kent State to 206 yards of offense as the RedHawks downed the Golden Flashes, 23-3 back on Sept. 30, 2023.
Series vs. Kent State
The RedHawks lead the all-time series 52-18 over Kent State, and have won four of the last five meetings, dating back to 2018. Miami last lost at home to KSU back on Nov. 10, 2012 (48-32). Brett Gabbert has thrown for 799 yards and six touchdowns (3 starts) in his career versus the Flashes, while Matt Salopek (Kent, Ohio native) has made 30 tackles, 4.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks in his career against KSU.
Honoring History
Miami football will wear special helmets/jerseys versus Kent State as Miami and the Myaamia Tribe continue to foster a great relationship. Over the past several years at Miami University, the Athletics department has developed a strong partnership with the Myaamia Center, another outcome of more than a 50-year relationship between the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University. The partnership began with education within Miami athletics and grew as they began to use the Myaamia Heritage Logo (MHL), a design released in 2017 that visually represents the relationship between the Miami Tribe and Miami University.
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 19-14 and by the time they reach November, the RedHawks are 19-5.
Ball State Recap
Miami posted its fourth straight win last Tuesday, defeating Ball State 27-21. Brett Gabbert threw for 219 yards and three touchdowns for the RedHawks, while Keyon Mozee added 105 rush yards on a career-high 22 carries.
• Corban Hondru and Raion Strader each collected interceptions in the first half.
• Corey Suttle matched his career high with two sacks.
• Matt Salopek, Savio Frazier and Adam Trick also produced at least 1.5 tackles for loss apiece.
• Reggie Virgil made a career-high five catches for 101 yards, producing his second career 100-yard game.
• Keyon Mozee rushed for at least 100 yards for the fifth time in the last six games.
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 five 100-yard games and Miami is 5-0 when Mozee goes for 100-plus yards (UMass, EMU, Ohio, CMU and Ball State).
Gabbert In The History Books
Brett Gabbert, who missed the last six games of the 2023 season with a leg injury, has made 47 starts in his career and is all over the Miami record books. He ranks third in program history with 9,839 passing yards, sixth in completion percentage (.592) and second in passing touchdowns (75). He is also 12 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards and is responsible for 82 touchdowns (75 passing, 7 rushing) in his career.
Five More Tidbits on #5
• Back in 2019, Gabbert became the first true freshman to start at quarterback in program history.
• He was named the 2019 MAC Freshman of the Year.
• Younger brother of former NFL quarterback, Blaine Gabbert
• In conference games only, he leads the MAC with 13 touchdown passes and is second in touchdown to interception ratio (13:1).
• Has not thrown an interception in his last 78 passes, the second-longest stretch of his career (current best is 129 back in 2021).
Balanced Passing Attack
Brett Gabbert has been spreading the ball around all season long. Miami has three different receivers averaging at least 51 yards receiving per game and his top targets have all had their moments.
• Cade McDonald leads Miami with 38 receptions this season and has two 100-yard games.
• Javon Tracy is tops on the team at 57.1 receiving yards per contest. He has 11 catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns over the past two weeks.
• Reggie Virgil has a team-high six touchdown receptions this season. He comes into the KSU contest having scored a touchdown in four-straight games.
Trench Warfare
Miami’s offensive line is the most experienced unit on the 2024 roster. Reid Holskey has started each of the last 49 games for the Red and White and is followed by Will Jados (33), Kolby Borders (32), and John Young (23). Those four have combined to start 137 games and all four started all 14 games a year ago. Charlie Nank has made eight starts at center and Greg Smith has one start in his career. That’s 146 starts combined for the offensive line.
Monsters of the MAC
In conference games, Miami’s defense ranks near the top in neither every statistical category. The RedHawks rank third in scoring (18.4), fourth in total defense (303.6), first in rushing (93.2), fourth in passing (210.4), third in sacks (13), first in interceptions (8) and second in redzone defense (80%).
Tackling Machine
Linebacker Matt Salopek, the reigning 2023 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, has 472 career tackles and has surpassed 100 stops in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Salopek, who has 80 tackles on the season, is 20 tackles shy of becoming the first RedHawk in program history to have four 100-tackle seasons. His 472 tackles ranks seventh all-time in program history.
49 And Counting…
Matt Salopek made his 49th start last week versus Ball State, but he is not the only defender that has played a ton of football on the defensive side of the ball. Kobe Hilton (44), Brian Ugwu (29), Ty Wise (27), Raion Strader (21) and Eli Blakey (20) 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 18-of-20 field goals this season, while Bevelhimer is averaging 42.0 yards per punt in 2024. Dzioban is fifth in the nation with 18 made field goals.
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