MIAMI FOOTBALL PREVIEW

RedHawks battle future MAC member UMass

By MIKE SMITH
Three games into the Miami RedHawks 2024 season, MANY questions remain. 
Most of them are unanswered due to the level of opposition. The RedHawks may be 0-3, but those losses were to:  a Big 10 team, a Big 12 team and an independent that ranked as high as No. 5 earlier this year. As much as the statistics to date speak for themselves, they may or may not be indicative of the future. 

Of course, it is not like one game against a 1-3 UMass team is going to provide all the answers. However, if the RedHawks are still strugging in certain areas Saturday, there will be hand-wringing. 

Among the chief concerns among Miami fans is the offense. MU has scored just two touchdowns this season. Both came in the second half against Cincinnati and both were passing scores.

Not surprisingly, the RedHawks are last among MAC teams in scoring (8.3 ppg). Toledo -- next week's opponent -- is first with an average of 37.3 ppg.

No doubt related to questions regarding . . . 

---

. . . Miami's ability to score is its ability to run the ball. The RedHawks totaled 64 yards rushing through the first two games (Northwestern and Cincinnati). Last week, they netted 110 yards against a solid Notre Dame defense. 

"We definitely ran the ball better than we did the first two weeks," Miami head coach Chuck Martin told the media in his weekly press conference.

Yet, the progress was a bit muted by MU's lack of success in two areas -- short yardage and redzone. The RedHawks converted just 2 of 12 third down opportunities against ND. Ultimately, there will need to be better production in both running and passing, but a good run game is a terrific foundation for all sorts of offensive success. Can the RedHawks get untracked this week?

Another positive step for the offense would be to reduce turnovers. The RedHawks have thrown early redzone picks in each of the past two weeks. "You can't turn the ball over in the redzone," said Martin, who was hoping to grab an early lead against tough competition. 

Defensively, Miami has held its own for the most part. Two areas,  however, have drawn some attention: 1. The secondary  2. Mobile quarterback contain.

Martin addressed the former Monday, noting MU's youth and "inexperience on the perimeter.."

"A lot of our mistakes that are maddening come from younger guys that haven't played a lot of football, so we've got to keep growing in that area."

Notre Dame's final score, a 50-yard pass play to Jeremiyah Love, was an example of one breakdown.

As for the mobile quarterback issue, Notre Dame's Riley Leonard  completed 16 of 25 attempts for 154 yards and the late TD. However, it was his running success that proved particularly damaging. The Irish totaled 270 yards rushing; Leonard led the way with 12 carries totaling 143 yards with two TDs. 

In the 13-6 loss at Northwestern, Wildcats quarterback Mike Wright led NU rushers with nine carries for 65 yards and the game's only touchdown (a 13-yard scramble).

Mobile quarterbacks proliferate college football, including the MAC, these days. So, getting pressure on the quarterback while keeping him contained are part of both the short and long term challenges.

On the short term, the RedHawks will be tested this week by UMass QB Taison Phommachanh. The 6-4, 215-pound senior threw for 1,507 yards last year and has already reached 844 yards this season. He has completed 
62.0 percent of his passes, with four TDs and three interceptions. He also leads the Minutemen in carries (55) and is second in rushing yards (146 total, 2.7 ypc). 

"He's really athletic. He's strong," Martin said. "They will use his legs. They always do, but he can also throw it."

Phommachanh missed last year's Miami-UMass game (a 41-28 RedHawks victory) but was a key part of the offense in 2023. Martin noted that a number of the UMass offensive players have returned, but the Minutemen have a new offensive coordinator, who has introduced some new schemes. 

UMass has been playing as an independent, but it will be a full Mid-American Conference starting in 2025. The Minutemen have five MAC games on their schedule this year and met three MAC foes in the first three weeks. They lost to Eastern Michigan (28.14), Toledo (38-23) and Buffalo (34-3). After Miami Saturday, the Minutemen visit Northern Illinois next week. No. 11 Missouri and No. 2 Georgia appear later in the schedule. Such is life as an independent. 

UMass does have  one win to its credit. That came last week as the Minutemen defeated Central Connecticut 35-31. That game was tied 21-all at intermission and the Blue Devils led 31-28 early in the fourth quarter. UMass, however, put together a 10-play, 75 yard drive. Phommachanh completed three passes and ran twice along the way. Brandon Campbell ran in from three yards out for what proved to be the winning score. Neither team could score after that.

NOTES:
-- To honor the legacy of the Western College for Women, Miami University's football team will don special blue, white, and red jerseys this weekend against Massachusetts as part of the Homecoming 2024 celebration.
Featuring a dark blue base and white numbers with a red border, the jerseys display "Western College" across the front, with a Miami logo patch in the upper right corner. The patch can be tapped by phone to connect to a special website promoting this year's Homecoming theme, "Celebrating the Spirit of Western: A Homecoming for Love, Honor, and Legacy."
The unique jersey design mimics a 1970s-era throwback with its shoulder stripes and sleeve numbers, as this weekend's festivities honor the 50th anniversary of the final Western College graduating class from 1974. The jersey details fuse the color scheme of Western's blue and white with Miami's red and white to recognize the merger of Miami University and Western College and show the institutions coming together as one.