MIAMI FOOTBALL

Banged up RedHawks face Lions in homecoming tilt

Eliminating turnovers a priority 

LINDENWOOD AT MIAMI (3:30 P.M., ESPN+)

By MIKE SMITH
Given the injury situation at Miami, it would probably be a good idea not to overlook this week's opponent. Four key starters left the UNLV game and didn't return. At least as of Monday, Miami Head Coach Chuck Martin wasn't sure about their availability this week. 
Their injuries added to . . .

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​. . . the list of battered and bruised RedHawks after two previous weeks against Big Ten foes. Now, the RedHawks host an FCS-level team that is coming off two wins. 
Saturday is homecoming for Miami and stumbling against Lindenwood would certainly dampen the mood in Oxford. As Martin likes to say, his team needs to be "on their business."
• • • • • LINDENWOOD is located in St. Charles, Missouri -- near St. Louis. It is an FCS-level school and is part of the Ohio Valley-Big South Association. 
• After opening with losses to St. Thomas-Minnesota (35-13) and App State (20-13), the Lions posted wins over Charleston Southern (35-28) and Stony Brook (20-27).
• Lindenwood led the Seawolves 27-3 at halftime, but Stony Brook scored 24 second half points while holding LU to three points.
Those three points -- a 31-yard Will Graham field goal with 6:59 remaining in the fourth-- proved decisive. Stony Brook's final TD made it a 30-27 game with 4:23 remaining, but Lindenwood ran out the clock on its next possession. 
• Senior quarterback Nate Glantz completed 20 of 29 passes, good for 249 yards with two touchdowns. 
• Both of those scores went to Rico Bond, who totaled eight catches for 119 yards and the two TDs. Jalen Smith and Drew Krobath combined for seven receptions and 102 yards.
• The Lions ground game piled up 216 yards. Glantz led the way with 13 carries for 104 yards (8.0 ypc) and a TD.Jared Rhodes provided 85 yards on 12 trips (7.1 ypc). Overall, Lindenwood averaged 5.4 ypc on 40 rushes. 
•  Graham's winning field goal against Stony Brook was his first successful field goal of the 2025 season. He is 1 of 4 on the campaign and 10 of 13 on PAT kicks. 
• Of Lindenwood's 77 first downs on the year, 49 were on passes. 
• The Lions are averaging 22.8 ppg. 

Corban Hondru (12) and Silas Walters (29) bring down a Rebel defenders. (MVSmith/MRO)

• • • • • MIAMI has work to do on both sides of the ball this week. However, eliminating costly turnovers has to be near the top of any list for improvement. Two turnovers last week led to a pair of critical UNLV scores. 
• If Dequan Finn is unavailable and/or held out, MU will again turn to Henry Hesson at quarterback. The senior enjoyed early success but Miami's offense had limited opportunities after intermission. Hesson's final passing numbers were 9 of 17 for 134 yards and a TD. Finn was 7 of 12 for 131 yards with two TDs and a pick-six interception through a little more than a quarter of action. 
• Kenny Perry contributed 188 yards of total offense and scored two TDs. He averaged 6.5 ypc on 16 rushes for 104 yards. He also caught six passes totaling 84 yards. However, it was his late fumble that ended a possible game-winning Miami drive and set up UNLV for its own game-winning drive. 
• Kam Perry caught five passes for 122 yards. He has nine catches for 230 yards on the season. 
• Corban Hondru didn't get MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, but he certainly had some good credentials. Hondru picked off two Rebel passes, returning one for a touchdown. He also recorded nine tackles (3 solo). 
Eli Blakey led all RedHawk defenders with 16 tackles (10 solo).