Miami (Ohio) is the defending MAC champion, and the RedHawks were picked to repeat this year.
While the race should be tight, one thing for sure is Miami will be prepared for the rigors of MACtion after a challenging four-game non-league schedule.
Actually, it’s a challenging three-game schedule that began with last week’s 13-6 loss at Northwestern. After a bye week, the schedule continues on Sept. 14 at home against Cincinnati in the Battle for the Victory Bell. Then Miami visits Notre Dame, which looked formidable in its opening 23-13 win at Texas A&M.
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Miami’s fourth game is at home against UMass, which looks like a W.
Then Miami jumps right into the meatgrinder of the MAC schedule with an Oct. 5 clash at Toledo.
For those keeping score, Toledo lost to Miami 24-14 in last year’s MAC Championship and the Rockets were picked second to Miami in the MAC preseason poll. Toledo did beat Miami 21-17 during last year’s regular season.
As for the opening defeat, losing on the road to a Big Ten team is nothing to hang one’s head about, although Miami’s challenge was slightly easier than fellow MAC team Akron, which opened with a 52-6 loss at Ohio State.
That said, Northwestern is coming off an 8-5 season, and even though the Wildcats were picked just 14th in the 18-team preseason Big Ten poll, it’s still a Power Four team coming off a winning season. Plus, Northwestern is known for its defense and last year was 40th in scoring defense, allowing 22.5 points per game.
Miami was in the game almost to the end. Trailing 13-6, Miami had a second down pass intercepted on the Northwestern 25-yard line with 53 seconds left. Northwestern, playing in its temporary stadium, had survived.
No doubt Miami wasn’t in the mood for a moral victory.
Quarterback Brett Gabbert, who suffered a season-ending injury in the eighth game of the season last year against Toledo, completed 22 of 37 passes for 223 yards and two interceptions. Not a vintage performance, but no doubt there was some rust to shake off.
Miami’s points came on the first two field goals of redshirt junior Dom Dzioban’s career, from 43 and 26 yards out.
The play of the RedHawks’ defense was a positive sign in the opener. They recovered two fumbles in the first half. Last year, Northwestern lost just one fumble the entire season.
Leading the way was linebacker Matt Salopek, the 2023 MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Salopek had 10 tackles, including four solo, giving him 402 for his career.
Now the RedHawks have two weeks to prepare for Cincinnati, which will host Pitt on Saturday. Just last year, Miami earned a 31-24 overtime win at Cincinnati. Never mind that Cincinnati outgained Miami 538-358 – the RedHawks still earned the W. The extra week of prep should help Miami find offensive momentum.
Miami-Cincinnati is the oldest non-conference rivalry in college football, and the teams are 60-60-7.
Cincinnati is coming off a 38-20 home win over FCS Towson as Indiana transfer Brendan Sorsby, a redshirt sophomore, passed for two touchdowns and ran for two others. Pitt should provide much more resistance this week.
What Miami has to show is more consistency on offense. Gabbert threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s win over the Bearcats, and he will need a similar effort if Miami is to win.
Miami needs to get the ground game going after averaging just 1.7 yards per carry against Northwestern. The main positive on offense was wide receiver Cade McDonald, who had eight receptions for 105 yards.
McDonald, who played his first three seasons at Michigan State, had 28 receptions for 353 yards and three touchdowns last season in his first year at Miami.
Regardless of the outcome against Cincinnati, Miami will face its toughest opponent the following week when traveling to South Bend.
Miami usually plays a difficult non-league schedule, but this one is a notch above last year’s when the RedHawks lost at the other Miami 38-3, then won at UMass and at Cincinnati before stampeding Delaware State 62-20.
Last year, the non-league schedule obviously helped prepare the RedHawks for MACtion. This year with a more difficult schedule, more of the same should follow.
