MIAMI FOOTBALL

RedHawks look to knock off 2-0 Bearcats

MU defense faces big challenges

The Miami RedHawks are by not a finished product by any means, but  will ongoing improvement be enough for them to upset rival Cincinnati Saturday at TQL Stadium. 

Home of FC Cincinnati, the TQL Stadium soccer pitch will become a football field Saturday, hosting what is currently the last scheduled meeting between MU and UC. As usual, the winner hoists the coveted Victory Bell.

Over the last . . . 

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. . . couple dacades, Cincinnati has enjoyed most of the hosting. Miami, which had a substantial lead at one point, dropped 16 straight in the series before upsetting UC 31-24 (OT) at Nippert Stadium in 2023.  Cincinnati then prevailed again in 2024. 

The rivalry started in 1888 with the first college football game ever played in the state of Ohio. Cincinnati now holds a one-game lead (61-60-7, so a Miami victory would even the series at 61 wins apiece. 

"We know how important it is to anybody that has anything to do with Miami football," head coach Chuck Martin said of the rivalry. 

MU's roster includes 27 transfers and 28 freshman, with 66.4 percent of the team on board for one season or less. Most, therefore, have never played against UC. 

"It's just new to them," Martin acknowledged. "We'll definitely get that across this week. They're all important, but this one is a little more important."

Cincinnati, a Big 12 member, is 2-0 thus far and a nearly 17-point favorite in some circles. Head coach Scott Satterfield's team opened with a 35-15 win against Boston College and rolled past Western Carolina 62-10 last week. 

"It's going to be a challenge," said Martin, who noted "No one has really slowed them down on offense."

One of the keys to that success has been the run game. 
"Coach Satterfield has been unbelievable at designing run games for years," Martin said. "They're an unbelievable rushing team. ... When you're rushing for 300 yards a game, you're mauling people, and that is what they are doing."

According to Martin, the Bearcats have "at least three NFL draftable offensive linemen. ... Their O-line are just engulfing everyone and putting them in jail ... (and) they've got a whole stable of tailbacks that are all high-end P-4 (talents). 

Senior Gi'bran Payne (5-10, 208) is averaging 8.1 ypc with 210 yards and two TDs after two games. Four other players have at least 97 yards so far and eight players have rushing touchdowns. 

Quarterback JC French IV leads the team with three rushing scores and is averaging 6.1 ypc on 17 runs. 

While UC has rushed on 95 plays, the 'Cats have recorded 46 pass attempts. 

"They don't throw it a ton, but (they're) wildly efficient when they do throw it and (they do get) a lot of chunk plays off their passing game," Martin said, adding, "Anytime you're running the ball good, the passing game opens up."

At least to date, "efficient" might be putting it mildly. Cincinnati has completed 84.8 percent of its passes. French has completed 31-of-38 attempts, good for 322 yards and all three UC passing TDs. He also has an outstanding passer rating of 179.1. 

"They've got fast receivers and they've got a quarterback that is playing fantastic," said Martin, who indicated Cincinnati was similar -- talent-wise -- to what Pitt puts on the field. 

That might put a little shudder in some RedHawk fans who were disappointed in Miami's performance during a 59-14 loss at Pittsburgh Sept. 5. However, Martin noted significant improvement in a lopsided win over Holy Cross.

At Pitt, "we didn't execute anything well enough to even be competitive," he said. Last Saturday, "we took care of business. ... Our execution (from Pitt to Holy Cross) was night and day -- and that was on both sides of the ball."

Acknowledging the challenge of another P-4 opponent this week, Martin observed, "We didn't handle the size, strength and speed of Pittsburgh, and we didn't handle the pressure that Pittsburgh put on us to make decisions on both sides of the ball very quickly. ... We're going to have to be way better than we were two weeks ago to have a chance to compete in this game."

Noting a good week of practice help set up success against Holy Cross, Martin was looking for another good week before UC. 

Among the improved MU performances last Saturday was quarterback David McComb's 13-for-13, 3 TD passing game. The R-Fr. also ran for a score.

He had "an outstanding performance. We practice every day, and we never go 13-for-13 in practice," Martin said, adding, He "set a school record for passer rating in one game and averaged almost 20 yards a completion."

In addition to the numbers, Martin pointed out McComb improved significantly in decision making and also showed "he can make just about every throw." 

"He's very calm. He's very cerebral. He's very focused on trying to help our football team win. He has no ego, although he is very confident. He doesn't care if we throw or run. He just wants to execute a play and help everybody be successful. 

Those traits should fit well with this week's game plan -- 

THE PLAN: Do "what ever it takes to win a game."