MIAMI FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Health and schedule top Miami 2024 challenges

Senior Kenny Tracy could be an important cog in Miami's run game. (MVsmith/MRO)

MIAMI REDHAWKS
2023 RECORD: 11-3 (7-1 MAC)
2024 MAC HEAD COACHES POLL: FIRST

By MIKE SMITH
Miami turned the old "darkest before dawn" quote into reality last year. After quarterback Brett Gabbert went down with a season-ending leg injury against Toledo in Week Eight, MU bounced back to beat Ohio the following week and then ran off four more straight victories to capture a MAC championship. The title game was a 23-14 victory over UT, which had edged MU 21-17 in the regular season matchup. 

While the RedHawks have lost some key contributors to their championship run, they also return a very talented cast. 

Gabbert, who threw for . . . 

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Brett Gabbert brings a ton of experience and solid passing skills to the RedHawks offense. (MVSmith/MRO)

. . . 2,648 yards and 26 TDs over 10 games back in 2021, is back. So is 2023 MAC Defensive Player of the Year (LB) Matt Salopek. Even after portal hits, Miami brings back formidable units on both sides of the ball. Recognizing this, MAC head coaches picked MU to repeat in their 2024 preseason poll. The road to repeat, however, is indeed perilous.
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OFFENSE:
Two REALLY BIG portal losses were running back Rashad Amos (Ole Miss) and wideout Gage Larvadain (South Carolina). The former used his combination of power and speed to run for 1,075 yards and 13 TDs. Larvadain, meanwhile, tapped his speed to lead MU receivers and give the RedHawks some critical big plays - particularly early in the season. 

Just how well MU replaces those two weapons will say a lot about Miami's offensive production this year. Senior Cade McDonald and sophomore Javon Tracy return after combining for 50 catches, 391 yards and five TDs. They will be joined by transfers Kam Perry (Indiana) and Andre Johnson (Arizona State), among others. Redshirt senior transfer Preston Daniel (Florida State) is one of the options at tight end.

As for running back, Head Coach Chuck Martin recently projected a running back by committee scenario to start the season. Kenny Tracy and Keyon Mozee are the top returnees. Together, they logged 80 carries for a combined 301 yards and four scores. Joining them is Dylan Downing (UNLV/Purdue). At 6-0, 228, he and Jordan Brunson (6-0, 233) should be able to give MU some punch between the tackles. 
The RedHawks defense played a big part in MU's 2023 MAC title run. (MVSmith/MRO)
Ah -- tackles!! The RedHawks return both tackles (Reid Holskey and Will Jados) among four starters up front. Three are seniors. 
All the moving parts, of course, come together under the management of Gabbert. The value of his experience and ability to read defenses is hard to overestimate

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Ty Wise celebrates a rumble recovery. Wise and LB Matt Salopek combine for one of the MAC's best defensive tandems.

DEFENSE:
While MU made the necessary offensive adjustments after losing Gabbert, its defense earned a BUNCH of gold stars! No team scored more than 16 points against MU in any of the final six games. On the year, Miami was second in scoring defense (15.9 ppg).

Although MU lost DE Caiden Woullard to Oklahoma in the portal, it returns considerable experience through the first two levels.  Along the front, senior Corey Suttle and junior Nasir Washington played in all 14 games. Kobe Hilton and Brian Ugwu are returning senior starters. 

Linebacker is particularly strong with Matt Salopek and Ty Wise roaming sideline to sideline. Salopek led the league in total tackles (144) and solo stops (75). The latter was 13 more than No. 2 (Joe Sparacio, EMU) and 14 more than Wise (61). Both Salopek (First Team/MAC Defensive Player of the Year) and Wise (Second Team) earned All-MAC honors in 2023. 

The least experienced unit is Miami's secondary. Sophomore corner Raion Strader and junior safety Eli Blakey are returning starters. Nickleback Oscar McWood played in 10 games with three starts in 2023. 

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Dom Dzioban, formerly an All-MAC punter (2022) has been part of a fall camp battle to replace Graham Nicholson. (MVsmith/MRO)

SPECIAL TEAMS:
Kicker Graham Nicholson became the first MAC Player to win the Lou Groza Award last year after connecting on 27 of 28 field goal tries. Such awards attract a LOT of attention and -- yadda, yadda -- Nicholson is kicking for Alabama this year. 

Before RedHawk fans panic, however, Martin noted Nicholson himself was once a replacement for another successful RedHawk kicker -- Sam Sloman. As of last Saturday, Martin indicated the battle for MU's 2024 kicking spot was still in progress. Dom Dzioban, a former All-MAC punter who missed 2023 with a leg injury, is one option. Redshirt freshman Kellan McLaughlin booted three PATs last year and is also an option.

As for punting, Alec Bevelhimer stepped in for the injured Dzioban last year and earned All-MAC Second Team honors. He ranked 19th in the nation with a 45.0 average. Nineteen of his punts traveled over 50 yards. He also has three years experience as a holder for RedHawk kickers.

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CHUCK MARTIN

FINAL THOUGHTS:
>> As we've already noted, players deserve a ton of credit for fighting through last year's difficulties. We should also give a tip of the cap to Martin and his staff. Not only does he say "That's football" during adversity, he (and his staff) seem to double down during hard times. 
Miami football was at perhaps its lowest ebb ever when he took over. He rebuilt the program through some tough early years and has made MU a respected contender even as the world of college football evolves. It's no accident that fellow coaches picked MU to repeat in the preseason coaches poll.  Pulling it off, however, won't be easy. The last team to win back-to-back MAC football titles was Northern Illinois in 2011 and 2012. 

>> As usual, Miami has a very difficult non-conference schedule. The RedHawks open Aug. 31 at Northwestern. After a "bye" week, they host arch-rival Cincinnati in what will be the final "home" battle for the Victory Bell. Only two games remain in that series, so a "hard fought" game may be an understatement. Still, one week later, MU travels to No. 7 Notre Dame. 

>> After a home tilt against future (2025) MAC member Massachusetts, Miami travels to Toledo (No. 2 in MAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Ohio comes to Yager Stadium Oct. 19. Northern Illinois (Nov. 19, Home) and Bowling Green (Nov. 29, Away) are also stiff challenges. 

>> The absolute No. 1 question for MU is: Can the RedHawks stay relatively healthy?
Every team has injuries, but Miami would certainly like Gabbert's final year to be a full season. He was on the field for four games in 2022 and eight in 2023. Backup Aveon Smith, whose strong suit was running, is gone. But now MU has a little better depth as far as running the same offense if needed.

>> It may take time to see how well Miami filled some of the positions, so MAC play will probably be more telling than non-conference action.
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FULL SCHEDULE HERE