MIAMI FOOTBALL

RedHawk offense leads way to fourth straight win

MU overcomes four TD passes by Eagles' Kim

A Miami defender makes a stop during the RedHawks win over Eastern Michigan. (MVSmith/MRO)

By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- Eastern Michigan (2-6, 1-3 MAC) senior Noah Kim threw for a season-high four touchdowns and 309 yards, but Miami QB Dequan Finn produced four TDs of his own as the RedHawks pulled out a 44-30 win Saturday at Yager Stadium. 
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Miami, one of three teams still unbeaten in MAC play, never trailed. However, a costly RedHawks turnover and several big plays by Kim allowed the visitors to trail by just seven points at intermission. 
Both of Finn's . . . 

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Cole Weaver had two catches totaling 34 yards. (MVSmith/MRO)

. . . rushing touchdowns came in the second half. His 1-yard run was the only score of the third quarter and put MU up 28-14. He added a 4-yard score early in the fourth period and Miami picked up two more points less than a minute later when EMU's hike on a punt sailed out of the end zone. 

That left the hosts with a commanding 37-14 lead. However, Kim's final TD pass of the day -- this one to Nick Devereaux for 19 yards, made it a 37-22 game after the successful 2-point conversion. 

The two teams traded touchdowns over the final 3:52. D'Shantae Jones scored on a 2-yard run for Miami and Kim found Devereaux again for a 21-yard score with 58 seconds left. ​

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Jayden Fuller's pressure forced QB Noah Kim to get rid of the ball early. (MVSmith/MRO)

Devereaux came into the game with one TD to his credit. Meanwhile, freshman Harold Mack Jr recorded a pair of 51 yard receptions and two touchdowns. 
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While EMU found success through the air, Miami leaned on its ground game. The RedHawks totaled 295 yards and scored four TDs among 55 rushes. Senior Jordan Brunson led the way with 23 carries for 122 yards and one score. Freshman D'Shawntae Jones contributed 66 yards and one TD among his seven trips. 

Finn scored two TDs among his 58 yards on nine carries. He also completed 13 of 22 passes totaling 159 yards with two touchdowns. One of the scores want to tight end Brian Shane, who led MU with four catches for 56 yards.
​Running back Josh Ringer, who returned after an injury at Northern Illinois, also had a receiving touchdown. His 3-yard catch capped off a 20-play, 66-yard drive midway through the second quarter. 

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The RedHawks defense recorded three sacks. (MVSmith/MRO)

MORE NOTES:
• The RedHawks had just one turnover. However, their second quarter fumble proved quite costly. 
Miami was already up 21-7 when Corban Hondru intercepted a Kim pass and returned it 11 yards. That set Miami up at the Eagles 31-yard line with 3:30 left before intermission. It was a chance to go up at least 24-7 -- and maybe 28-7. Five plays later, however, Keith Reynolds fumbled. 
No only did it end the drive, six plays later Kim escaped pressure to hit Mack on a 50-yard pass to the Miami 18. Kim then found Mack again for a 12-yard TD two plays later. 
• The RedHawks made better use of their second interception. Eli Blakey picked off a Kim pass at 8:37 of the third quarter. Six plays later, Finn scored on a 1-yard run to give Miami a 28-14 advantage.
• Miami owned a huge edge in time of possession: 42:09-17:51. Some of that owes to the RedHawks ground game churning out drives - especially after MU gains a multiple-score lead. However, another factor was EMU's ability to move the ball on chunk plays. One example was Eastern Michigan's first score of the second half. EMU used just three plays, with the TD coming on a 51-yard pass play to Mack.

Tight end Brian Shane recorded his first career touchdown after coming up a yard short one week earlier.. MVSmith/MRO.

• Miami averaged 7.2 yards per rush. It's particularly impressive given the RedHawks loss of senior starter Kenny Tracy. who is out for the season.
• Shane led MU receivers with four catches. Three (17, 16 and 20 yards/TD) came on one second quarter drive. The touchdown was his first career score.
• After struggling on third down conversions earlier this year, MU went 11 for 15 against Eastern Michigan. It also converted its only fourth down gamble.
""I thought as an offense we did a really good job converting, even on some third-and-longs which are pretty low-percentage," Shane said in post-game comments. "We protected well, we ran fast routes, and the quarterback threw the ball where it needed to go on the money pretty good."
EMU was good on 6 of 13 third downs and two of three fourth downs. 
• The RedHawks drew eight penalties for 75 yards. Eastern Michigan was flagged four times for a total of 24 yards. 
• Miami punter Pierse Stainton averaged 55.3 yards per boot on three punts. His 65-yard punt early in the third quarter went out of bounds at the EMU 4-yard line. 

Daquan Finn passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more. (MVSmith/MRO)

• Miami Head Coach Chuck Martin was impressed with Finn's performance. "DQ probably played his best game: Just a lot of little things you don't see, [especially] his decision-making," Martin pointed out. "He made good decisions when he scrambled, he threw the ball away today, he found guys, and he ran it himself for third downs. Those are the plays that change the game that no one remembers."
​• Brunson's 22 carries and 122 rushing yards were both career highs. Martin noted the senior has really stepped up when Miami needed help at an injury-riddled position. 
"I've been very impressed with Brunson. He went from no carries to a ton of carries. He's a big, strong kid that can handle that though. That's his wheelhouse. He should get stronger as the game goes on; he's a big back."
• Miami recorded three sacks against EMU. Malcolm McCain and Christian McKinney picked up their first career sacks, giving MU sacks by 11 different players this year (the most since 2022).

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Jordan Brunson goes through a hole for some of his 122 yards. (MVSmith/MRO)