MIAMI FOOTBALL

RedHawks face Huskies on road in MAC opener

By MIKE SMITH
It's finally MAC football time for Miami and Northern Illinois. Both teams emerged from non-conference play owning 1-3 records.
With NIU football departing for the Mountain West Conference next year, this could be the last meeting between the two schools - at least as conference mates. 
Miami has won the last four meetings, but three of those matchups were one-score decisions. A number of factors suggest this year's contest will once again be a close, hard-fought game.

It also wouldn't be . . . 

---

. . . all that surprising if this is a low-scoring game.

The Huskies rank last among MAC teams in scoring offense (10.3 ppg), and their highest production was 19 points in a season-opening 19-17 victory over still-winless Holy Cross. Since that time, NIU has scored 10 or less points, albeit against some pretty good competition. Their three losses were to teams with one loss between them to date -- Maryland, Mississippi State and San Diego State. 

Miami, meanwhile, has been inconsistent on both sides of the ball. The RedHawks were shutout by Wisconsin 17-0 in Week 1 but scored 17 at Rutgers (45-17) and 38 against UNLV (41-38) before blasting Lindenwood 38-0 last Saturday. The latter moved MU up to fifth among MAC teams in scoring offense with an average of 23.3 ppg.

HUSKIE "D"
Of course, Miami will also be facing a fairly solid Huskie defense this week. Northern Illinois ranks third among MAC teams in scoring defense (20.3 ppg), and last week's battle against San Diego State was all about defense -- with a little kicking added to the mix. Neither team scored a touchdown. Both kicked field goals to finish their first drive. The next points came on an Aztec field goal as time expired to give SDSU a 6-3 win. 

The Aztecs managed 266 yards overall, with 151 on the ground and 115 through the air. Northern Illinois totaled 179 yards. a mere 57 of which were passing. Most - 122 yards -- were products of the ground game. 

It should be noted that San Diego State ranks 10th nationally in scoring defense (13.0 ppg). It is 24th against the run (105.7 ypg) and 30th against the pass (179.3 ypg).

NORTHERN ILLINOIS OFFENSE
As for the Huskie offense, sophomore Josh Holst has completed 59.7 percent of his passes thus far, good for 376 yards with one TD and two interceptions. He is ranked 12 among MAC QBs in passing efficiency (99.6). 

DeAree Rogers leads NIU receiving (21 catches) and is sixth among MAC receivers. Sophomore Telly Johnson Jr. (5-11, 209) is averaging 4.8 ypc, with 53 carries through four games. His 63.0 ypg is eighth among MAC ball carriers. 

"They (like to) run the ball (and they are) physical (on) defense. They've been one of the top teams in our league for a long, long time. Year in and year out, they're always talented," Miami Head Coach Chuck Martin said. 

Daquan Finn rolls out looking downfield against UNLV. (MVSmith/MRO)

REDHAWK OFFENSE
Miami's offense, meanwhile, is a somewhat complicted study. Note that:

• The RedHawks had a massive personnel turnover this year -- some by portal but many by graduation. No starter returned on the offensive side. That left MU young/inexperienced in a number of places. Even with portal replacements, meshing the offense has been a process. This was especially true along the front line.
• Injuries against two Big Ten opponents and a very strong (4-0) UNLV team have taken their toll. Starting quarterback Daquan Finn did not play last week after a nasty injury in the UNLV game a week earlier. 

Backup Henry Hesson finished against the Rebels and MU might well have pulled out a win were it not for a late RedHawk fumble in the UNLV red zone. Hesson got the start against Lindenwood and -- after a slow MU start -- took care of business for a 38-0 victory. 

Finn, a former MAC Most Valuable Player (2023), is a dynamic, dual-threat talent with proven success in conference play. He threw 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions as Toledo reached the MAC Championship game that year. However, in his nearly 2.5 games of action in 2025, he has thrown two TDs and four interceptions. His injury came on the last of those four picks. 

Kenny Tracy has been a key weapon for Miami. (MVSmith/MRO)

Particularly in a close game, turnovers can spell the difference. Much of Miami's success in recent years involved creating turnovers and using them to set up field position/scores. 

RUN GAME IMPROVEMENT
Establishing the run could help MU not try to do too much in passing situations, and Miami has shown glimpses of an improved ground game in recent weeks. The RedHawks totaled 131 rushing yards against UNLV and registered 264 last Saturday against Lindenwood. 

Senior Kenny Tracy, who missed 2024 due to injury. carried 20 times for 134 yards and a TD against the Lions. 

Finn, who is listed as a starter on this week's depth chart, will also be a threat to run -- just as he has in past seasons -- if he is relatively healthy. However, he also has several speedy targets. Kam Perry had a 66-yard TD among his three catches for 122 yards and two scores last week. Sophomore Keith Reynolds, a transfer from Washington, has 11 receptions, including seven for 120 yards at Rutgers. He also ran a kickoff back 100 yards for a TD against UNLV.

---

Keith Reynolds , shown here against Lindenwood, returned a kickoff 100 yards for a TD against UNLV two weeks ago. (MVSmith/MRO)

SPECIAL TEAMS
Special teams has been a Miami strength under Martin. However, it is more of a mixed bag so far this year, with several field goals/punts going "off-course." On the other hand, Reynolds' runback and a blocked punt returned for a TD last week were big plusses. With the start of conference play, MU will be eager to iron out the wrinkles. 

KEYS TO THE GAME
-- Turnovers are especially big in tight games. For MU, good decisions while throwing and ball security at all times will be important.
-- Special teams can win -- or lose -- games. At a minimum, field position is involved.  
-- The trenches are typically a key battleground when NIU is playing. Saturday should be more of the same. Miami has been working to improve up front. This will be a big test as conference play begins.
-- Consistency with a young, less-experienced team has been elusive, according to Martin. However, he has noted improvement. Can MU minimize penalties and assignment miscues? 

MARTIN ON THE CHALLENGE
"We're improving. I still think we've got a chance to be a really good football team, but we're not yet. (Saturday) was a good step," Martin said.  "We've got to keep getting better and find a way to get a huge road win. If you get that one next week, that would be huge."