College football is back in full swing. For the Miami University RedHawks, this weekend means taking on the monumental task of facing the Northwestern University Wildcats in Evanston, Indiana. Saturday’s game begins at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
The RedHawks are returning from an electric 2023 campaign that brought them their ninth Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship in program history.
The season was exciting enough as is, but it was surprising for many considering starting quarterback Brett Gabbert exited the season halfway through due to a right leg injury sustained in October.
Aveon Smith took the spot at quarterback, leading the team to Miami’s first conference championship since 2019. Smith has since transferred to Texas A&M.
Gabbert returns to the field for his first snap since last October. At a press conference last week, the sixth-year described the upcoming weekend with excitement
“It’s been a long time coming,” Gabbert said. “It’s not only me, but the rest of my teammates and the coaching staff are ready to go.”
For Miami, facing a Big Ten school for the first game of the season is both a huge opportunity and a daunting prospect. Northwestern finished last season with a 8-5 (5-4 in the Big-Ten) regular season record. The Wildcats won their last four games of the season, including a 45-43 shootout against the University of Illinois.
The RedHawks faced a similar situation at the start of last season against the University of Miami Hurricanes. The “Battle of Miamis” was a bloodbath for the RedHawks, who left Florida with a 38-3 beating.
For head coach Chuck Martin, the team enters Saturday’s matchup with the same confidence, but with some level of self-awareness.
“This is like throwing them in the deep end,” Martin said. “When we went down to Miami, we were excited. We felt the same way, we thought we had a good team. We got punched in the mouth early in that game, and we kind of backed off as a team. As a group, we went, ‘whoa. This is way different, these guys are really talented.’… Northwestern is gonna do the same thing to us, and we’re gonna have to react a lot better.”
“You have to go in there confidently, but we have to have a ton of respect for [them]. It’s not like you’re not gonna go in and whip a Big Ten team. You’re gonna have to plug away and make enough plays to hang in there.”
After last year’s opener, the RedHawks thrived. They dominated the MAC, going 7-1 in conference play. They found similar success against a Power Five opponent, bringing home the Victory Bell after defeating the University of Cincinnati Bearcats.
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Northwestern opened its 2023 season with a loss to Rutgers University. The Wildcats rebounded with a 38-7 win over University of Texas at El Paso Miners in week two. They lost to Duke University the next week, but beat the University of Minnesota in overtime right after.
The regular season was bumpy for the Wildcats, but their winning streak at the back end of the season is something the RedHawks have noted.
“It’ll be an incredible challenge,” Martin said. “They’re a good Big Ten team. They had a really good year and are planning on building on that momentum of how they finished.”
This year, the RedHawks will be without some notable offensive weapons, including running back Rashad Amos (transferred to the University of Mississippi) and wide receivers Gage Larvadain (transferred to the University of South Carolina) and Yahsyn McKee (graduated).
Returners Cade McDonald and Javon Tracy will need to fill those holes. Both receivers combined for 703 yards and five touchdowns last season. With Gabbert back in the fold, the offense should run smoothly.
Miami also brings back much of the same defense that held opponents to 15.93 touchdowns and 255 total yards on average per game. Returning defensive-backs include Matt Salopek, Ty Wise and Brian Ugwu, who combined for 19 sacks in 2023.
For Salopek, the defense’s job going into this weekend is to keep it together for every play.
“We need all 11 guys to do their job every single snap,” Salopek said. “We can’t have any mishaps when we go up there [on] Saturday.”
Northwestern debuts a new starting quarterback this season, Mike Wright. Wright transferred from Mississippi State University after throwing for 453 yards and three touchdowns with the Bulldogs.
Saturday’s matchup will be the 11th meeting between the two schools. Miami beat the Wildcats 17-14 in 2022 after a late-game field goal from former RedHawk Graham Nicholson. It currently holds the lead over Northwestern with a 7-3 record.
In college football, anything can happen. And for a Miami squad that’s coming off a historic 2023 season, a victory in Evanston is entirely possible.
Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. at the Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, the Wildcats’ temporary stadium while Ryan Field undergoes renovations.
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