4:30 p.m. | CW Network
Arizona Stadium Tucson, Arizona
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS COLORADO STATE
Miami is 2-0 all-time versus Colorado State, but these two programs have not squared off since 2010. A Ben Roethlisberger led team beat CSU 41-21 on the road back in 2003 and Miami downed Colorado State 31-10 back in 2010 in the only two meetings.
Miami-Ohio Redhawks Notes
REDHAWKS TO FACE COLORADO STATE IN SNOOP DOGG BOWL
The Miami University football team looks to win its first bowl game since 2021, when they travel to Tucson, Ariz., to face Colorado State in the 2024 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl. The contest will be carried live on the CW Network and begins at 4:30 p.m.
ABOUT MIAMI
• Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (732), conference wins (324), MAC Championships (17) and bowl wins (8). • Historically, Miami’s 732 career wins are third all-time among Group-of-Five programs, behind just Navy (745) and Army (736). • Miami was 4-14 in Coach Martin’s first 18 Mid-American Conference games. Since then, the RedHawks are 49-19 in their last 68 games versus schools from the MAC. • This will be Miami’s 16th bowl appearance and fifth-straight, dating back to 2020. Miami is 8-7 all-time in bowl games. With eight wins this season, Miami is bowl eligible for the seventh-straight year and eight of the last nine seasons. • Since Oct. 15, 2016, Miami has lost back-to-back conference games just twice in that span (2017, 2022). Miami is 16-3 following a conference loss, dating back to midway through the 2016 campaign. • After opening the season 1-4, Miami won seven-straight contests to advance to their second-straight MAC title game back on Dec. 7. The loss to Ohio snapped the longest win streak under Coach Martin. • Over the past two years Miami has a combined for 19 wins, the fourth-best two-year span in Miami history. Only the 2003-04, 1973-74 and 1974-75 squads combined for more wins (21). • Twelve members of the Miami University football team were named All-MAC. Brett Gabbert, Reid Holskey, Javon Tracy*, Dom Dzioban, Brian Ugwu, Matt Salopek and Raion Strader* earned first-team All-MAC. Reggie Virgil*, Keyon Mozee, Corey Suttle and Ty Wise all found their way on second-team and Eli Blakey earned third-team honors.
ABOUT COLORADO STATE
Colorado State comes in with a record of 8-4 (6-1 in Mountain West play) after scoring 29 fourth-quarter points to rally for a win in their regular-season finale. The Rams won six of their last seven games and posted the program’s highest win total since 2014. Nine CSU players were named All-Conference this season, including three offensive linemen (led by First-Team selection Jacob Gardner). Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi has thrown for 2,475 yards and 13 touchdowns, completing better than 61% of his passes. Avery Morrow has nine rushing touchdowns and 956 yards on the ground (5.8 yards per carry). The Rams will be making their first bowl appearance since the 2017 New Mexico Bowl.
SLOW STARTS
Slow starts are nothing new for Miami football, mostly due to the tough non-conference schedule the team plays every year. Since 2016, Miami continues to improve as the season moves forward. In the months of Aug./Sept. Miami is 13-23. In October, Miami is 19-14 and by the time they reach November, the RedHawks are 22-5 under Coach Martin.
OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS
Through the first five games of the 2024 season, Miami averaged just 13.6 points and only scored four touchdowns. Since then, Miami has scored at least 28 points in six of the past eight contests, including 46 versus Central Michigan and 38 in a win at Eastern Michigan.
BOMBS AWAY
Miami’s offense has also been explosive in the big play category over the past eight weeks. From weeks 1-5, Miami had 12 plays of over 20 yards. The RedHawks have 34 plays of over 20 yards, 13 of those coming on the ground over the past eight weeks.
MOZEE ON DOWN
Helping with the recent offensive output has been senior running back Keyon Mozee. Mozee had just 60 combined rushing yards in the first three games. Since then, he has posted seven 100-yard games (and 91 yards in the win over NIU) and Miami is 7-0 when Mozee goes for 100-plus yards (UMass, EMU, Ohio, CMU, Ball State, Kent State and BGSU). Mozee’s seven 100-yard games is tied for seventh in single season Miami history.
JOINING THE 1,000-YARD CLUB
Keyon Mozee has rushed for 1,073 yards this season and is just the 23rd player in program history to rush 1,000 yards in a single season. He has also rushed for 2,251 yards in his career, 149 yards shy of cracking the top-10 in Miami history.
GABBERT IN THE HISTORY BOOKS
Brett Gabbert, who missed the last six games of the 2023 season with a leg injury, has made 51 starts in his career and is all over the Miami record books. He ranks third in program history with 10,630 passing yards, sixth in completion percentage (.590) and second in passing touchdowns (80). He is responsible for 87 touchdowns (80 passing, 7 rushing) in his career.
FIVE MORE TIDBITS ON #5
• Back in 2019, Gabbert became the first true freshman to start at quarterback in program history. • He was named the 2019 MAC Freshman of the Year. • Younger brother of former NFL quarterback, Blaine Gabbert • In conference games only, he leads the MAC with 18 touchdown passes and is second in touchdown to interception ratio (18:4). • This will be Gabbert’s third start in a bowl game (missed 2022 and 2023).
TRENCH WARFARE
Miami’s offensive line is the most experienced unit on the 2024 roster. Reid Holskey has started each of the last 53 games for the Red and White and is followed by Kolby Borders (36), and John Young (27). Those three have combined to start 116 games and all three started all 14 games a year ago. Charlie Nank has made 12 starts at center and Greg Smith has one start in his career. Will Jados, who entered the transfer portal after the MAC Championship Game started 37 games at left tackle.
NEW PASS CATCHERS
With Javon Tracy (first-team All-MAC) and Veggie Virgil (second-team All-MAC) entering the transfer portal, Brett Gabbert will have several new faces to throw the ball to. • Cade McDonald is second on the team with 49 receptions this season and has two 100-yard games against Northwestern and Cincinnati. • Kam Perry, a transfer from Indiana, has eight catches for 109 yards in 11 games. • Cole Weaver has one catch in his career, a 24-yard touchdown earlier this year against Eastern Michigan.
MONSTERS OF THE MAC
The RedHawks rank 16th nationally in scoring defense (18.9), 24th in total defense (321.4), 47th in rush defense (136.8), 25th in pass defense (184.5), seventh in passing defensive efficiency (108.4) and 49th in sacks (30).
TACKLING MACHINE
Linebacker Matt Salopek, the reigning 2023 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, has 505 career tackles and has surpassed 100 stops in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Salopek, is the first player in program history to have at least 100 tackles in four different seasons. His 505 tackles ranks fifth all-time in program history.
53 AND COUNTING…
Matt Salopek made his 53rd career start versus Ohio in the MAC Championship, but he is not the only defender that has played a ton of football on the defensive side of the ball. Kobe Hilton (46), Brian Ugwu (33), Ty Wise (31), Raion Strader (24) and Eli Blakey (24) have all started at least 20 games for Miami’s defense.
UGWU CLOSING IN ON A CAREER YEAR
Senior Brian Ugwu, a transfer from Rutgers, ranks fifth in program history with 20.5 sacks. He had 5.0 sacks back in 2022 and 8.0 sacks in 2023. This year, the defensive lineman has 54 tackles, a career-best 14.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He also has a pair of fumble recoveries in 2024.
DOUBLE DUTY
Throughout his Miami career Ty Wise has played multiple positions on the Miami defense. He has recorded 226 tackles, many from his middle linebacker position, but also has 15.0 career sacks rushing the passer at defensive end. In 35 career games he has added 23.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and three forced fumbles. He set a MAC Championship record with 17 tackles versus Ohio.
KICKER UNIVERSITY
For the second-straight year Miami has a placekicker up for the Lou Groza Award. Dom Dzioban is one of 20 semi-finalist for the nation’s top kicker. He currently has made 23- of-27 field goals, including a Yager Stadium record five makes in the win over Central Michigan. Last season Graham Nicholson won the Lou Groza (made 27-of-28 FGs) and prior to that, Sam Sloman made 48-of-61 kicks from 2016-19, eventually getting drafted by the LA Rams.
Colorado State Rams Notes
NOTING THE RAMS
• For the first time since 2017, Colorado State will be playing in a bowl game. The Rams secured a 38-21 victory over head coach Jay Norvell’s former program, Nevada, to secure bowl eligibility. The Rams and the Arizona Bowl are no strangers as CSU played in the first edition of the bowl game in 2015. • Colorado State has several ties to Snoop Dogg through the southern-California based Snoop Youth Football League. Products of Snoop’s league on roster are Jordan Ross, Aitor Urionabarrenechea, Darius Curry and Jaden Landrum. • CSU’s offensive line has been one of the best in the nation, and the numbers back it up. In addition to paving the way for 170.6 rushing yards per game (top-10 in most improved), the Rams front anchored by two of the most seasoned players with Jacob Gardner (57 starts in 57 career games) and Drew Moss (46 career starts), unit has surrendered just 10 sacks the entire season, tied for the fourth-best mark in the nation. • The turnaround of Colorado State’s run game in 2024 cannot be understated. In 2023, the Rams mustered just 92.2 yards on the ground per game, which was the ninth-worst mark nationally. This season the Rams are racking up 170.6 rushing yards per game, which has them among the top 60 in the nation and is one of the ten-largest increases in FBS. The Rams have also gone from 10 rushing touchdowns last season to 19 in 2024. • Colorado State set a Canvas Stadium – and program – attendance record with 40,099 fans for the Rocky Mountain Showdown. It also marked back-to-back sellouts after Ram Nation turned out for the home opener against Northern Colorado on Sept. 7. In total, Colorado State sold out four of its seven home games this season.
NOTING THE GAME
• This will be the third meeting all-time between the Rams and the RedHawks, and the first since 2010. Miami has had Colorado State’s number in the past, winning the previous two matchups by a combined score of 72-31. This is the first time the two programs have met in a bowl game.
