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RedHawks cruise in final MAC tuneup  Eian Elmore goes up for a reverse slam during second half action. (MVSmith/MRO) By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- Seven RedHawks reached double figures as Miami (6-6) wrapped up non-conference play with a 119-69 victory over Wilberforce (1-4) Friday at Millett Hall. Freshman point guard Evan Ipsaro led MU with 17 points. However, only two of the double figure RedHawk scorers were starters as the Miami bench contributed 70 points. Jackson Kotecki hit all four of his field goal tries on the way to 13 points. Eian Elmer, Bradley Dean and Jaquel Morris recorded 12 points each. Reece Potter and Ryan Mabry chipped in 10 apiece. "Coming off Christmas break . . . we had a couple of really good practices," Miami Head Coach Travis Steele said. "We shared the ball and handled the press pretty well." Cali Davis earned game-high honors, scoring 21 points for the Bulldogs. Josiah Mobly tallied 19. Miami trailed just once (4-2) and used a 15-0 run to build a 17-4 advantage following Bryce Bultman's layup at 13:26. Shooting 55.3 percent from . . . Did the Grinches dull NLI Day?  By MIKE SMITH
High school signing Day (AKA NLI Day) used to serve as a beacon of hope for the future. With the transfer portal and other changes descending on college sports like locosts on a family farm, I sense Signing Day has lost at least some of its luster. Those signatures -- by an large -- represented the future. Transfers happened, but they were relatively few and far between. Now -- with the current transfer portal format -- the "future" might be defined as "the next few months." Let's say a D-1 football staff works its tail off to land 20 quality high school players on NLI Day. Who's to say how many of them will be there even one year later? Personally, I believe . . . RedHawks edge Vermont in dramatic return home Hunter caps frantic rally with long trey at buzzer  Anderson Mirambeaux tied for game-high scoring honors in his second game back. By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- In his post-game comments, Miami Head Coach Travis Steele opined that more close basketball games are lost in the last minute than are won in the final minute. While that may or not be the case, it was clear that his Miami RedHawks WON Saturday's matchup against Vermont. After trailing by eight with just over a minute to play, MU (5-6, 0-0 MAC) battled back for a 70-69 win over UV. Darweshi Hunter's 3-point bank shot shortly after crossing half court completed a frantic RedHawk rally as MU broke a three-game losing streak while playing its first home game since Nov. 28. "We've played a really hard schedule -- a hard stretch," Steele said. "It makes you grow up. Hunter and Anderson Mirambeaux, who saw . . . RedHawk football signs 21 on Early NLI Day Martin cites class with athleticism and speed  By MIKE SMITH
Josh Ringer was named Indiana Mr. Football. Brach Rice was a First Team All-Kentucky linebacker who registered 28 tackles in a single contest and 184 on the season. Jacob Schorsch was Greater Cincinnati League Offensive Lineman of the Year and a First Team All-Ohio selection. Those are just three relatively local products among 21 prep players who today signed National Letters of Intent to play football for the Miami RedHawks. Speaking to the press just after noon, Miami Head Coach Chuck Martin said he was pleased with the quality of this year's class. "We really like the group," he said. "We think it has the most size and athleticism (of) any group we've had in 10 years here." Ironically, perhaps, Martin sees . . . Defense, turnovers block RedHawks challenge Miami's 49.2 percent from field not enough  By MIKE SMITH
DAYTON, OH -- With 10 contests in the book and just two more non-conference games left on the 2023-24 schedule, Miami Head Coach Travis Steele has a pretty good idea of what his super-young team needs to do in order to compete during upcoming MAC play. Tuesday's 92-82 loss at Wright State (5-6) re-emphasized MU's issues as it had a somewhat familiar ring to it. Specifically, the opponent shot a very high field goal percentage (67% for the night) and did most of its damage inside (64 points). Amos shines, but MU falls to potent App State Mountaineers top RedHawks in soggy bowl battle  By MIKE SMITH
ORLANDO, FL -- Officially, Appalachian State defeated the Miami RedHawks 13-9 to win the Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl Saturday at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Unofficially, the Mountaineers prevailed in what might be remembered by participating players and coaches as the 2023 Orlando Monsoon Bowl. The contest was played in a rainstorm that dumped an estimated 1.61 inches of rain on the stadium before halftime. Beyond soaking participants to the skin, it created slippery conditions that significantly affected footing and ball handling. There were 13 fumbles in the game, with Miami losing three and App State giving up two. Another miscue led to MU missing an extra point on its only touchdown. With their victory, the Mountaineers raised their 2023 record to 9-5. They also picked up their seventh victory in eight bowl games at the FBS level. Half of those were against MAC teams. Miami, which was facing App State for the first time, fell to 11-3 on the campaign. Ultimately, it was the Mountaineers who . . .  QB question tops Miami bowl challenges Seven weeks ago, the idea of Miami football finishing 2023 with 12 wins might have seemed more like wishful thinking than anything else. Having lost starting QB Brett Gabbert to season-ending injury while losing a home game to Toledo, the RedHawks had more important things on which to focus.
The most important task at that time was to regroup for the very next game -- a critical MAC East matchup at arch-rival Ohio. With sophomore Aveon Smith taking over at quarterback, Miami met that challenge and ran off three more victories before getting another shot at Toledo in the MAC championship game. Once again, Miami came through with an upset win, avenging the regular season loss to UT and claiming its 17th MAC championship. It was MU's 17th MAC title and second since Chuck Martin took over as head coach. It was also Miami's 11th win of 2023. The last time MU won 11 games was in 2003 when Ben Roethlisberger led the RedHawks to 13 wins, including a 49-28 victory over Louisville in the GMAC Bowl. Throw in victories over rivals Cincinnati and Ohio with a MAC Championship, and this year's squad has already earned a place in Miami history. Adding a 12th win would be quite the cherry topping. Getting that win . . . Wildcat inside game overwhelms RedHawks  DAVIDSON, NC -- Davidson outscored visiting Miami 32-4 in the paint during first half play and went on to post a 79-61 win over the RedHawks Saturday at John M. Belk Arena.
It was the fourth straight win for Davidson (7-3), while Miami (4-5) dropped its second straight. The hosting Wildcats had hoped to get off to a good start, and achieved that goal with six quick points before MU scored. By the 11:33 mark, Davidson owned a double digit lead (17-6). Controlling the paint at both ends, the Wildcats out-rebounded MU 23-10 and connected on 54.8 percent from the field while building a 40-22 halftime advantage. Davidson also out-scored MU 15-5 on points off turnovers before intermission. Miami trailed by 28 points midway through the second half when it . . . Click Read More to continue . . . Nicholson wins prestigious Lou Groza Award  Graham Nicholson set a new FBS record for the most field goals (23) in a perfect regular season. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – During Friday night's live Home Depot College Football Awards, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced Miami University junior Graham Nicholson as the winner of the 2023 Lou Groza Collegiate Placekicker Award. Nicholson is the first RedHawk to capture a national award in program history.
Nicholson finished the season 26-for-27 on field goals and missed one extra point all season long. With a 23-for-23 regular season, Nicholson set a new FBS record for the most field goals in a perfect regular season, topping 2012 Lou Groza Award winner Cairo Santos' mark of 21. With a pair of field goals to start the MAC Championship Game, Nicholson made 25 consecutive field goals, matching the all-time FBS record for the longest streak in one season. Overall, his 26 field goals tied for the second-most in FBS while his 96.3% accuracy was the highest by any kicker with even 15 attempts on the year. He also set the bar for . . . When preparation meets resolve and execution . . .  By MIKE SMITH As exam week closes and bowl week approaches, one might call the Miami football situation fluid. You could, however, say that about just about any FBS program these days. Take the Miami kicking game for instance. Graham Nicholson entered the transfer portal earlier this week and apparently has now decided to return for another season with MU, according to a Miami X (former Twitter) account. Meanwhile, RS-FR safety Jeremiah Caldwell has entered the portal, according to on3.com Click Read More to continue . . .
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Editor-Publisher Mike SmithMike grew up in Mid-American Conference football and basketball territory and returned there after military service. He has been covering MAC football and men's basketball for much of the last several decades. 
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