CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
MIAMI-OHIO REDHAWKS vs OHIO BOBCATS
101ST BATTLE OF THE BRICKS
Miami leads the all-time series 56-42-2 against Ohio in the Battle of the Bricks. The rival programs have faced off every year since 1945 except for 2020 (COVID) and this will be the first MAC title contests between the two schools. In four career starts, Brett Gabbert has thrown for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns (1 INT) versus the Bobcats, while Matt Salopek has recorded double-digit tackles in all four games against OU (44 tackles, 2.5 TFL and 1 INT in his career).
MIAMI-OHIO REDHAWKS NOTES
REDHAWKS VS. BOBCATS FOR A MAC TITLE
The Miami University football team, winners of seven-straight, will face the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. for the 2024 MAC Championship. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. and will be shown live on ESPN.
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 49-18 in their last 67 games versus schools from the MAC. • Miami is competing in their third MAC title game in the past six years. The RedHawks won the 2019 and 2023 MAC Championship. The last time Miami repeated as MAC Champs was from 1973-1975 when the Red and White won three-straight titles. • The RedHawks have a chance to become just the fourth program in MAC history to win back-to-back MAC Championship games. NIU (2011-2012), Central Michigan (2006-2007) and Marshall (1997-1998-1999-2000) are the only other programs to do so. • 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. • 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).
ABOUT OHIO
Ohio is 9-3 on the year and finished MAC play at 7-1. Ohio features the third-ranked offense in the MAC at 28.5 points per contest. Quarterback Parker Navarro has thrown for 1,934 yards and 10 touchdowns and added 876 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. The Bobcats allow just 18.7 points, third best in the MAC, and are led by Bradley Weaver’s 8.0 sacks.
LAST MEETING VERSUS THE BOBCATS
Miami defeated rival Ohio 30-20 back on Oct. 19. Brett Gabbert threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns for the RedHawks, while Keyon Mozee added 111 rushing yards and a score. Miami’s defense, which held Ohio to just six points through three quarters of play, forced two interceptions and added three sacks in the win.
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.
WE’RE GOING STREAKING
Miami enters Saturday’s play riding a seven-game win streak, their longest during the Martin era. The last time Miami won at least seven games in a row … 2003 when the RedHawks won 12-straight contests. During the seven-game win streak Miami has trailed for just 10:27 of 420 minutes of play.
OHIO BOBCATS NOTES
THE OPENING KICK
The Ohio football team (9-3, 7-1 MAC) is set to reprise the Battle of the Bricks when it takes on rival Miami (Ohio) (8-4, 7-1 MAC) for the MAC Championship on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Ford Field. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN with Anish Shroff, Andre Ware and Paul Carcaterra on the call The Bobcats’ matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield, presented by Holzer Health System. Veteran Ohio radio personality Marty Bannister is stepping into the 2024 play-by-play role and will be joined by Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades.
SCOUTING MIAMI
(OHIO) The RedHawks are currently 8-4 overall and 7-1 against MAC opponents, coming off a 28-12 victory over Bowling Green on Black Friday (Nov. 29). As a team, Miami averages 24.25 points per game on 134.6 rushing yards and 227.75 passing yards. Miami’s offense is led by sixth-year quarterback Brett Gabbert. Currently, Gabbert is 190-for-329 with 10 interceptions, logging 21 touchdowns on 2,610 yards through the air. On the ground, senior running back Keyon Mozee holds the team-high in carries (159), rushing yards (1,045) and rushing touchdowns (4). He holds the second-longest rush (74 yds), just trailing redshirt junior running back Jordan Brunson (75 yds). On the season, Brunson has recorded two rushing touchdowns on 38 touches and 248 yards. Senior running backs Kevin Davis and Dylan Downing have also contributed to the RedHawks’ offense, responsible for the remaining three rushing touchdowns of the season. Junior wide receiver Reggie Virgil and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Javon Tracey lead the RedHawks’ receiving room with 787 and 760 yards, respectively. They’ve recorded 16 receiving touchdowns between the two of them, with Virgil claiming a team-best nine receiving touchdowns and Tracey trailing with seven. Redshirt senior wide receiver Cade McDonald has also been a major contributor this season and currently has 47 catches and three touchdowns on 589 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, sixth-year linebacker Matt Salopek is among the top 10 tacklers in the league with 106 total tackles, including 52 solo stops. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Brian Uwu leads the team in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (7.5). Miami’s defense is among the top in the MAC in interceptions (11), with redshirt junior linebacker Corban Hondru and Salopek responsible for three apiece. Sophomore defensive back Raion Strader is responsible for a team-best 16 pass breakups as well as two interceptions and 50 total tackles. Kicker/punter Dom Dzioban is 22-for-26 on field goals this season, with his longest reaching 51 yards. Kicker/punter Alec Bevelhimer has accumulated 2,177 yards on 53 punts, averaging 41.08 yards per punt. LAST TIME OUT The Ohio football team capped off another undefeated season at home after thumping Ball State 42-21 on Friday afternoon (Nov. 29). The victory also punched Ohio’s ticket to the Mid-American Conference Championship for the second time in Tim Albin’s four years as head coach. Graduate student wide receiver Coleman Owen kick-started the Bobcats’ win with touchdowns in back-to-back drives in the first quarter. His first six points came on a 50-yard reception from graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro. The latter of his six were collected on a 41-yard reception. It was during the second quarter in which Owen became the third Bobcat to tally 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He joined LaVon Brazill and Donte’ Foster, who reached that benchmark in 2011 and 2013, respectively. Owen finished the afternoon with 142 yards on five receptions. Ball State’s offense was defenseless through the majority of the first half. Graduate student defensive end Ben McNaboe sacked Kadin Semonza for a loss of three yards on 2nd and 7 and graduate student defensive end Bradley Weaver hurried him the next play to end Ball State’s first drive before it truly began. The same happened on the Cardinals’ first drive of the second quarter. McNaboe broke up Semonza’s first pass attempt and redshirt junior linebacker Shay Taylor did the same on his second. Later in the quarter, graduate student defensive end Marcel Walker-Burgess sacked Semonza for a 1-yard loss. Ohio had a healthy lead by halftime after Navarro ran in a 20-yard touchdown. Even though Ball State had finally gotten on the board, Ohio knew it was in a good place. The Bobcats’ confidence came through on the first drive of the second half. Weaver sacked Semonza for a loss of 12 yards, which caused him to fumble the ball. Taylor then returned the loose ball for six yards to put the Bobcats in the redzone. It didn’t take long for Navarro to cross the white line for his second rushing touchdown of the day. He ended the afternoon with 110 yards on the ground and 169 yards in the air. Redshirt junior quarterback Nick Poulos took over for Navarro halfway through the third quarter. It was around then that the Cardinals scored their second touchdown of the day. However, the Bobcats did not settle. Junior wide receiver Max Rodarte scored on a 19- yard reception to put the Bobcats ahead by 28 points. The Cardinals picked at the lead with a touchdown in the last three minutes of the game, but it wasn’t near enough to dent the Bobcats’ total. For the third time this season, the Bobcats scored 40 or more points.
SCOUTING OHIO
The Bobcats are currently 9-3 overall and 7-1 against MAC opponents. They average 28.50 points per game on 210.5 rushing yards and 183.75 passing yards per game. In the air, graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro is 156-for-240 on 1,934 yards with 10 touchdowns. Navarro is also a threat on the ground, recording 132 carries for 876 yards and a team-best 13 touchdowns, making him the team’s leading scorer. Notably, Navarro broke his single-game rushing yards record against CMU (176) and is the fourth quarterback in program history to score four rushing touchdowns in a game (Nov. 13 vs. EMU). Redshirt junior Nick Poulos made his Bobcat debut against Morgan State (Sept. 14) and his first start against Kentucky (Sept. 21). He is currently 22-for-49 with one interception on 271 yards in the air while recording 149 rushing yards on 28 attempts. Graduate student running back Anthony Tyus III solidified himself as a force to be reckoned with, finishing the game against Syracuse with 203 rushing yards, marking the first time since 2021 a Bobcat passed the 200-rushingyards-mark in a single game. On the season, Tyus has 184 carries on a team-leading 960 yards and nine touchdowns (eight rushing, one receiving). Redshirt freshman running back Rickey Hunt Jr. has made appearances in 11 games for the Bobcats, recording 365 yards and two touchdowns on 73 touches. Hunt owns the longest rush of the year (59 yards). Freshman running back Duncan Brune net 84 rushing yards on 26 carries so far this season, scoring his first collegiate touchdown against Central Michigan (Oct. 12).
