MIAMI/MAC FOOTBALL

RedHawks in must-win situation against Ball State

Martin says MU will need its A-game

By MIKE SMITH
With just four wins to their credit, the Ball State Cardinals will be home during bowl season. However, when they look back on their 2025 campaign, they can still recall some fond moments. The best might have come Oct. 4 when BSU upset defending MAC champion Ohio 20-14 in Muncie. 

​Reverberations from that day . . .

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. . . helped create the drama of this final week of regular season action. Along with that, Miami football Head Coach Chuck Martin sees the Cardinals win as a huge cautionary tale. 

"It's the MAC. They beat OU and we didn't. That's all I need to know," said Martin, whose RedHawks face Ball State Saturday.  "They found a way to beat a really good OU team. We didn't."

For what its worth, Miami and Ball State face off in Oxford. All four Cardinal wins were in Muncie. 

Nontheless, Martin feels the RedHawks need to bring their A-game for a contest that COULD make-or-break MU's championship game hopes.

"We know Ball State and what they are capable of," Martin said.  "They've got a really good quarterback. They always have a good rushing attack. They've played really solid defense this year."

Miami has captured eight of the last nine meetings between the two programs. However, while the RedHawks have won five straight versus the Cardinals, each of those contests have come down to fourth quarter plays.

• • • • •  BALL STATE (4-7, 3-4 MAC) has defeated Ohio, Akron (42-28) and Kent State (17-13) in conference play. 
• Since defeating KSU, the Cardinals have lost to Eastern Michigan (24-9) and Toledo (38-9). 
• Toledo built a 24-3 halftime lead and added one TD in each of the final two periods. BSU's only touchdown came on a 15-yard Isaiah Thacker run with 3:43 remaining. 
• Senior QB Kiael Kelly completed 13 of 30 pass attempts totaling 166 yards. He was intercepted twice. Junior WR Ty Robinson threw two passes, completing one for 40 yards. 
• Eight Cardinals caught at least one pass. 
• Ball State ran 47 times for a total of 129 yards and one TD. Jalen Bonds (6-0, 200, Fr) led the ground game with 16 carries for 58 yards. 
• Toledo's defense recorded seven sacks and 17 TFL against BSU. The Cardinals defense had one sack and five TFL
• Willizhuan Yates and Eric McClain each picked off a Toledo pass. 
• Kelly has thrown for 1,383 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
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​• • • • • MIAMI (6-5, 5-2 MAC) is trying to reach a MAC Championship game for the third consecutive year. The RedHawks defeated Toledo in 2023 and lost to Ohio in 2024. 
• MU had won five straight this year before losing at Ohio Nov. 4. It then fell at home to Toledo the following week. 
• The RedHawks lost starting QB Dequan Finn before the Toledo game. It was later announced that he was leaving the team to "prepare for the next level."
• Playing with backup Henry Hesson at quarterback, the RedHawks managed just three points against Toledo. Faced with a critical matchup at Buffalo the following Wednesday, Miami started Hesson but turned to redshirt freshman Thomas Gotkowski after some unproductive early drives. 
• Gotkowski finished the game, completing 13 of 23 passes totaling 185 yards with one TD and - crucially - no turnovers. 
• Combined with solid defense and special teams play, Miami eventually put up 37 points while holding Buffalo to 20. 
"We planned on playing both of them going in. We didn't have a master plan. We had Thomas ready to go (and) we had Hank ready to go," Martin said. "We were kind of just going to play it by ear, and obviously when Thomas came in we got a spark and got a touchdown. Even at that point, it wasn't necessarily the plan to roll with him for the rest of the game.But it's a must-win game ... and he was playing good and the offense was moving it, (so) we just kind of rolled with him the rest of the game."
• Gotkowski, who also flashed some mobility, is listed as the starter on this week's depth chart. 
"Obviously, a great job by him in his first ever collegiate game," Martin said. "He provided a spark and did a great job for us."
• Although Miami's offense leaned on the run game some, Gotkowski's completions helped keep drives moving and provided one  touchdown. Receivers Cole Weaver (5 catches, 82 yards) and Kam Perry (4 catches, 76 yards) made some outstanding catches in a game that was full of them -- on both sides. 
"Their receivers made some huge catches, and our receivers made some huge catches," Martin said.  "There were some ridiculous and great catches on both sides." 
With MU getting a couple extra days before meeting Ball State, Gotkowski and his receivers may have a little more time to work on timing.
• The RedHawks were also glad to get a little more "recovery" time. Martin said the RedHawks brutal schedule, with four top contenders in four weeks, has taken a serious toll on available personnel. "We're beyond a MASH unit. We haven't hit anybody (in practive for) two weeks."
Among the most recent losses was linebacker Corban Hondru. The team's second leading tackler went out during Toledo's win over MU.  
"We miss his play. We miss his leadership," Martin noted.
• Miami's OL lost one player to the transfer portal, while four others graduated following the 2024 season. In all, those five players started a combined 166 career games for the RedHawks. Miami's 2025 offensive line has a much different feel. Eric Smith, Kris Manu, Austin Uke and Greg Smith Jr. all made their first collegiate start in the season opener at Wisconsin, while Drew Terrill started his second career game.
• RB Kenny Tracy and Finn were the primary running threats for MU earlier this year. Tracy was lost to injury and Finn is gone. Stepping up in the ground game have been senior Jordan Brunson and freshman D'Shawntae Jones. Both are big backs, with the latter using his 5-10, 245-pound frame to particularly effective use in short yardage situations. 
Brunson totaled 123 yards on 16 carries (7.6 ypc) against Buffalo. Among the runs was a 60-yard burst that set up one RedHawk touchdown. 
Jones logged seven carries for 17 yards and two TDs. He leads the RedHawks with six touchdowns on the season and is averaging 4.3 ypc. 
"Brunson ... had a good day. DeShantae had some good runs (including) a couple touchdowns," Martin observed. "We ran the ball effectively throughout the game, and then we threw the ball efficiently. The most (important) thing is we took care of the football. We won the turnover battle. 
• Indeed, the RedHawks played turnover-free football while intercepting two UB passes and recovering a fumble. 
• Bai Jobe's fumble recovery was part of a strip sack late in the game.
• Miami ranks third among MAC teams in sacks and typically turns up the pressure after getting a multi-score lead. The RedHawks finished with six sacks and 10 TFL against Buffalo. 
• Part of MU's not-so-secret sauce is special teams. Kicker Dom Dzioban was MAC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week after hitting all three field goals at UB. One was from 49 yards out. 
Miami had a good kickoff and good punt return to help with field position on two drives. Also, despite some injuries, MU has made progress in cleaning up its kickoff return defense. 
"Special teams was really, really good. I was disappointed the last few weeks," Martin said, adding, "We had new guys on kickoff (and) new guys on punt (so they) were stepping up and doing a great job."