The Miami University football team has a shot at redemption when it travels to Western Michigan University on Saturday to face an offense similar to Northern Illinois University, who beat Miami 45-12 last weekend in Oxford.
NIU defeated the RedHawks (1-6, 0-3 Mid-American Conference) with its run game, scoring four touchdowns on plays of 22 yards or more. WMU (3-3, 2-0 MAC) beat Ohio University last week with the run as well, scoring three touchdowns on rushes of at least 20 yards.
So, this week's matchup against WMU is more than facing similar offenses back-to-back, it's a measure of Miami's improvement.
"Obviously, when you play another top team back-to-back, and this one's on the road, it's a great test for your football team," head coach Chuck Martin said.
"When you watch their game tape … those big one-play scoring drives killed [OU] … they gave up big plays, much like you saw us do a week ago. That's the scary part for us. We know they're capable of getting big plays via the run."
Sophomore RB Jarvion Franklin and redshirt freshman RB Jamauri Bogan see most of the touches, and each averages at least five yards per carry. Freshman wide receiver LeVante Bellamy averages 10.1 yards per carry on 20 rushing attempts.
Miami gave up 311 rushing yards to NIU last week. Martin said there's a small margin of error when playing these types of teams, and in order to limit the big run plays, defenders must fit runs properly and get runners to the ground.
"Every run that popped through Saturday turned into a touchdown," Martin said. "Every time you pop a run, it shouldn't be a 60-yard touchdown or 30-yard touchdown."
"We have to make them drive the ball. When OU made them drive it, OU had some success. When OU didn't make them drive it, they went on those one-play big plays."
Redshirt junior quarterback Zach Terrell is also a threat. He leads an offense that averages 441 yards and 32.5 points per game. Terrell has thrown 17 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season and averages 252 yards per game. His two top receivers, redshirt junior Daniel Braverman and junior Corey Davis, total 11.5 and 12.9 yards per catch, respectively.
"We know they're a big-play offense," Martin said. "The focus, obviously, again, will be being where you're supposed to be, getting off blocks and making plays and not giving up those big plays."
Freshman quarterback Billy Bahl is expected to make his third career start for the 'Hawks. He showed much improvement in his second start against NIU, completing 16 of 33 passes for a career-high 156 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
In his first start against Ohio on Oct. 10, he completed 8 of 23 passes for 150 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.
Bahl will have to watch out for sophomore safety Asantay Brown, who leads the Bronco defense in tackles (49) with one interception and three pass breakups, and sophomore corner back Darius Phillips, who has three interceptions and nine breakups.
MU holds a 37-20-1 all-time series advantage over Western Michigan, but the Broncos have won the last four meetings, including a 41-10 victory over the RedHawks last season at Yager Stadium. Miami last beat the Broncos in 2004 and have lost five straight at Waldo Stadium.
Kickoff is 2 p.m. Saturday in Kalamazoo, Michigan.