By Packy Moore
FOLLOW OHIO FOOTBALL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
OHIO GAME NOTES
https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2024/10/15/10.19.24_at_MiamiOH.pdf
ATHENS, Ohio—The Ohio football team (4-2, 2-0 MAC) returns to action when they travel to Oxford, Ohio to take on rival Miami RedHawks (2-4, 1-1 MAC) for the 100th Battle of the Bricks on Oct. 19. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+ with Kevin Fitzgerald and Charlie Strong on the call.
The Bobcats’ matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield, presented by Holzer Health System. Veteran Ohio radio personality Marty Bannister is stepping into the 2024 play-by-play role and will be joined by Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MIAMI (OHIO)
The Bobcats and the RedHawks have met 99 times since 1908, posting a 42-55-2 record.
The two teams last met on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, at Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium. Ohio fell, 30-16, snapping their winning streak on the newly-named Frank Solich Field.
SCOUTING MIAMI (OHIO)
The RedHawks are currently 2-4 overall and 1-1 against MAC opponents. After falling to Toledo (Oct. 5), Miami (Ohio) logged its first conference victory against Eastern Michigan (Oct. 12), winning by a solid margin of 38-14.
As a team, Miami averages 17.67 points per game on 99.2 rushing yards and 233.5 passing yards. Their opponents average 22 points per game.
Sixth year quarterback Joe Brett Gabbert is 108-for-191 on 1,384 yards over six games, throwing nine passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. His longest pass clocks in at 75 yards. Gabbert isn’t afraid to use his legs, recording 35 carries so far this season. Redshirt junior quarterback Henry Hesson contributed in two games, logging two completions on 17 yards in the air.
Senior running back Keyon Mozee leads Miami on the ground currently with 55 attempts on 314 yards. He, along with redshirt junior running back Jordan Brunson, has scored one rushing touchdown. Brunson currently sits at 29 attempts on 149 rushing yards. In total, the RedHawks have utilized nine different athletes to move the ball on the ground.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Cade McDonald leads the receiving room with 30 catches and one touchdown on 382 yards. Junior wide receiver Reggie Virgil trails McDonald with 15 receptions on 320 yards but leads the team with three touchdowns, while redshirt sophomore wide receiver Javon Tracy has scored twice on 287 yards. Senior running back Kevin Davis, redshirt freshman wide receiver Cole Weaver and redshirt junior tight end Connor Briggs have all scored one receiving touchdown apiece.
Defensively, sixth year linebacker Matt Saloek leads Miami with 53 total tackles, including 28 solo stops, and one interception while redshirt junior defensive back Eli Blakey trails with 46 total tackles. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Brian Ugwu currently leads the team in tackles for loss (8.5) and quarterback hurries (7), recording 2.5 sacks along with senior linebacker Ty Wise. Redshirt junior linebacker Corban Hondru has snagged two picks on the season.
Redshirt junior kicker/punter Dom Dzioban is the RedHawks’ leading scorer, responsible for 40 of the team’s 106 total points. Currently, Dzioban is 10-for-12 on field goals, with his longest reaching 47 yards, and 10-for-10 on PATs. Senior kicker/punter Alec Bevelhimer has recorded 29 punts so far this season, accumulating 1,228 yards.
To read the rest of this week’s notes, click here.
GAME NOTES
https://miamiredhawks.com/documents/2024/10/14/Game_Notes_-_2024_Ohio.pdf
The Miami University football team hosts Ohio Saturday, Oct. 19 at 3:30 p.m. in Miami’s annual Family Weekend game. The 100th meeting between the two schools will be carried live on ESPN+.
About Miami
• Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (726), conference wins (318), MAC Championships (17) and bowl wins (8).
• Historically, Miami’s 726 career wins are third all-time among Group-of-Five programs, behind just Navy (743) and Army (733).
• Miami was 4-14 in Coach Martin’s first 18 Mid-American Conference games. Since then, the RedHawks are 43-18 in their last 61 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 132-73.
• 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
Head coach Chuck Martin is one win away from cementing himself into Cradle of Coaches history. He has already coached more games (124) than any other RedHawk in program history. Martin’s 58 wins is one away from tying Randy Walker (59) for the most wins in Miami football. He already has more wins then other Miami legends: Terry Hoeppner (48), John Pont (43), Bo Schembechler (40) and Ara Parseghian (39).
About Ohio
Ohio is 4-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play this season. Dual threat quarterback Parker Navarro has thrown for 898 yards and five touchdowns and has added 396 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Defensively, Blake Leake is tops on the team with 43 tackles while Bradley Waver is second in the MAC with 4.0 sacks.
Last Meeting Versus Ohio
Miami scored 30 unanswered points en route to a 30-16 victory over Ohio on Oct. 28, 2023. Rashad Amos rushed for a season-high 163 yards and a touchdown, while the defense held Ohio to 50 yards rushing on 26 attempts. Aveon Smith, filling in for an injured Brett Gabbert, threw for 103 yards and one score and add a second touchdown on the ground, while Cade McDonald had 90 punt return yards and Graham Nicholson was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts. Defensively, Miami had three sacks and Matt Salopek recorded 14 tackles.
Series Vs. Ohio
Miami leads the all-time series 55-42-2 (Saturday will be the 100th meeting between the two schools) against Ohio in the Battle of the Bricks. The rival programs have faced off every year since 1945 except for 2020 (COVID). This will be just the teams’ second meeting on a Saturday since 2016. Miami is 2-2 over the past four meetings versus the Bobcats and both times the RedHawks beat Ohio they went on to win a MAC Championship (2019, 2023).
Career Highlights Versus Bobcats
• Brett Gabbert has completed 62-of-99 passes for 885 yards and nine touchdowns (1 INT) in three career starts versus the Bobcats. He threw for a career-best 492 yards and five touchdowns back in 2021 in Athens.
• Matt Salopek has 34 career tackles to go along with 2.5 TFL and 0.5 sack in three starts versus Ohio. Last season he recorded 14 stops in the victory at OU.
EMU Recap
Brett Gabbert threw four touchdowns for Miami in a 38-14 victory over Eastern Michigan last Saturday afternoon at Rynearson Stadium. Miami’s defense added a pair of turnovers and held EMU to 18.4 points under its season average.
• For his efforts, Gabbert was named to the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 for week 7.
• Corban Hondru made his first career start and finished with a career-best 16 tackles.
• Reggie Virgil had the first multi-touchdown game of his career, scoring from 75 and 19 yards.
• It was Gabbert’s first four-touchdown performance since Sept. 9, 2023 at UMass.
• Eli Blakey had a career-best 18 tackles.
Offensive Explosion
Miami entered the contest with Eastern Michigan averaging 13.6 points per game and had scored just six offensive touchdowns through the first five weeks of the season. That changed last week at EMU.
• Miami scored a season-high 38 points and scored five touchdowns versus the Eagles.
• The RedHawks ran a season low 44 plays (previous low was 60 versus Cincinnati), but averaged 9.6 yards per play, finishing the contest with 421 yards of offense.
• The RedHawks rushed for a season-best 199 yards, led by Keyon Mozee’s 100 yards rushing.
• Brett Gabbert averaged 22.2 yards per completion and according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), he was a perfect 7-of-7 throwing for 206 yards and three touchdowns on throws over 10 yards. He was also a perfect 5-of-5 passing for 149 yards and two scores on play action throws.
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 17-14 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 445 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 445 tackles ranks ninth all-time in program history.
46 And Counting…
Matt Salopek made his 46th start last week versus Eastern Michigan, 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 (26) and Ty Wise (24) have all started at least 20 games.
Gabbert In The History Books
Brett Gabbert, who missed the last six games of the 2023 season with a leg injury, has made 44 starts in his career and is all over the Miami record books. He ranks third in program history with 9,277 passing yards, sixth in completion percentage (.588) and third in passing touchdowns (68). He is also 16 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards and is responsible for 75 touchdowns (68 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 48 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. This past week, Reggie Virgil led the team through the air.
Trench Warfare
Miami’s offensive line is the most experienced unit on the 2024 roster. Reid Holskey has started each of the last 46 games for the Red and White and is followed by Will Jados (30), Kolby Borders (29), and John Young (20). Those four have combined to start 125 games and all four started all 14 games a year ago. Charlie Nank has made six starts at center for the Red and White this year, for a combined 131 starts among the five offensive lineman.
COURTESY OHIO AND MIAMI ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
