(Photo: Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire)
Miami (Ohio) has been coached for 10 years by former ND offensive coordinator Chuck Martin. They were MAC Champions and 11-3 a year ago and are preseason favorites to repeat. In week one, they lost a tough one to Northwestern, 13-6. Last week, they lost another close game, this one to Cincinnati, 27-16.
Quarterback Brett Gabbert is in his 6th season, is a career 59% passer, and has started 39 games dating back to 2019. He has thrown 59 career touchdown passes, the third-most in RedHawk history. One of the players ahead of him on that list,by the way, is Ben Roethlisberger. Gabbert suffered a bad leg injury in October last year and missed six games, but he is now back at full strength. Through two games this year, he is 45-for-72 for 566 yards,with 2 TDs, and 3 interceptions.
Gabbert’s favorite target has been 5’11” senior Cade McDonald, who so far has 16 catches for 240 yards. His second-leading receiver has been running back Kevin Davis, with 9 catches for 88 yards.
In both losses, Miami has struggled to establish a running game despite returning four of five starters from last season’s offensive line. Through two games, they have accumulated an anemic 64 yards on 45 attempts, averaging just 1.4 yards per carry.
Defensively, the RedHawks ranked seventh nationally last season, allowing just 15.9 points per game. They return last year’s MAC Player of the Year, 6th-year linebacker Matt Salopek. He is off to another good start and leads the team in tackles through two games. The Irish must be wary of defensive end Brian Ugwu, who earned all-conference recognition last year with eight sacks and 10 QB hurries.
Miami has lost two games to start the year to Power Four teams by close scores. Despite that start, they remain preseason favorites to win the MAC, and for good reason. The culture Chuck Martin has built in Miami over 10 seasons is impressive; his teams play strong complementary football and don’t flinch in tight games. Brett Gabbert is an excellent quarterback with tons of game experience. Playing in front of 77,000 fans is not likely to rattle this team.
It is unlikely that the Irish will be able to blowout the RedHawks like they did Purdue. The RedHawks appear to have a solid defense, fundamentally better than the Boilermakers’. However, with NIU still fresh in ND’s psyche, the chance of ND taking this week’s game lightly as a big favorite is almost zero. ND’s superior overall talent and Miami’s weak ground game give this one the look of a solid win for the home team.
Notre Dame is a 27.5-point favorite, and the Over/Under is 43.5.
The Fighting Irish Preview Pick: Notre Dame 34, Miami (Ohio) 7