By Colin McGuigan
MAC GAME NOTES
https://getsomemaction.com/documents/2024/12/5//24_FB_Release_CHAMP.pdf
MIAMI GAME NOTES
https://miamiredhawks.com/documents/2024/12/2/Game_Notes_-_MACC.pdf
OHIO GAME NOTES
https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2024/12/3/12.07.24_vs_Miami.pdf
POSTSEASON AWARDS
Saturday, December 7
MAC Football Championship Game (Detroit, Mich. – Ford Field)
Miami vs. Ohio, 12 PM ET (ESPN)
WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Miami RedHawks (8-4, 7-1 MAC)
The Miami RedHawks won their final seven games of the regular season to earn a repeat visit to the MAC Championship Game in Detroit. After winning the 2023 conference championship, Miami posted an 8-4 overall mark this fall and went 7-1 in league play to match Ohio for the top record in the MAC.
The RedHawks dropped non-conference games to Northwestern, Cincinnati and Notre Dame early in the year before a dramatic overtime win over Massachusetts on Sept. 28, when placekicker Dom Dzioban hit a 47-yard field goal on the final play of regulation and followed that with a 43-yard game winner in the extra session.
The RedHawks then followed a loss at Toledo to open MAC play with seven consecutive wins by an average of 19 points per contest, the program’s longest winning streak since 2003. With a spot in the title game on the line, Miami punched its ticket to Detroit with a convincing 28-12 victory at Bowling Green on Nov. 29. Miami’s offense was led by veteran sixth-year quarterback Brett Gabbert (2,610 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, 57.8% completion percentage this season), who made his 50th start under center in the regular-season finale.
Gabbert is closing in on RedHawk legend Ben Roethlisberger for second place on Miami’s all-time list in passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense. Keyon Mozee (1,045 rushing yards on 6.6 yards per carry) gave the Red and White a 1,000-yard rusher for the second straight season.
The RedHawk defense allowed just 15 points per game in MAC play and led the league in scoring defense, ranking 12th nationally. Matt Salopek paced the Red and White with 106 tackles, becoming the first player in program history with four 100-tackle seasons. Brian Ugwu made a career-high 14 tackles for loss, including 7.5 sacks. 12 RedHawks received All-MAC recognition, including first-team picks Dzioban, Gabbert, Salopek, Ugwu, defensive back Raion Strader, offensive tackle Reid Holskey and wideout Javon Tracy. Miami advanced to the MAC Championship Game for the third time since 2019 and is bowl-eligible for the seventh consecutive season and the eighth time in nine years.
Ohio Bobcats (9-3, 7-1 MAC)
The Bobcats are currently 9-3 overall and 7-1 against MAC opponents. They average 28.50 points per game on 210.5 rushing yards and 183.75 passing yards per game.
In the air, graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro is 156-for-240 on 1,934 yards with 10 touchdowns. Navarro is also a threat on the ground, recording 132 carries for 876 yards and a team-best 13 touchdowns, making him the team’s leading scorer. Notably, Navarro broke his single-game rushing yards record against CMU (176) and is the fourth quarterback in program history to score four rushing touchdowns in a game (Nov. 13 vs. .EMU).
Graduate student running back Anthony Tyus III solidified himself as a force to be reckoned with, finishing the game against Syracuse with 203 rushing yards, marking the first time since 2021 a Bobcat passed the 200-rushing-yards-mark in a single game. On the season, Tyus has 184 carries on a team-leading 960 yards and nine touchdowns (eight rushing, one receiving).
Redshirt freshman running back Rickey Hunt Jr. has made appearances in 11 games for the Bobcats, recording 365 yards and two touchdowns on 73 touches. Hunt owns the longest rush of the year (59 yards). Freshman running back Duncan Brune net 84 rushing yards on 26 carries so far this season, scoring his first collegiate touchdown against Central Michigan (Oct. 12).
Graduate student wide receiver Coleman Owen leads the team with 1,032 yards and seven touchdowns on 62 catches, becoming one of three Bobcats to log over 1,000 receiving yards in a single season during the second quarter of Ohio’s Black Friday game against Ball State. Additionally, Owen scored his first rushing touchdown as a Bobcat against Buffalo (Oct. 26). Chase Hendricks has accumulated 392 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown so far this season. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Rodney Harris II, redshirt junior wide receiver Caleb Gossett and redshirt freshman tight end Mason Williams have also contributed.
On the defensive side of the ball, graduate student linebacker Blake Leake leads the team with 73 total tackles, including 30 solo stops and three tackles for loss. Graduate student safety Dustin Johnson trails Leake with 67 tackles—including a team-best 42 solo tackles— and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Redshirt junior linebacker Shay Taylor and graduate student defensive end Marcel Walker-Burgess are just behind with 63 and 52 tackles, respectively. Notably, both Walker-Burgess and Taylor added to the Bobcats’ nine interceptions on the season, with Taylor closing Ohio’s dominant victory against Buffalo (Oct. 26) with a pick-six.
Senior cornerback Tank Pearson claims a team-best three interceptions, snagging two against Eastern Michigan (Nov. 13). Graduate student defensive end Bradley Weaver leads the defense in sacks (8) and tackles for loss (12.5).
Kicker Gianni Spetic is responsible for 72 total points so far this season. Currently, he is 11-for-14 on field goals and 39-for39 on PATs. Additionally, Spetic has also accumulated 3,947 yards on 64 kickoffs. Punter Jack Wilson has 54 punts on the season for 2,219 total yards, with his longest clocking in at 56 yards.
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