The Miami University RedHawks (0-3) will take to Yager Field for the second time this season against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen (1-3) for homecoming weekend on Sept. 28 at 3:30 p.m.
This matchup is the last time the two face as non-conference opponents. The Minutemen will join the Mid-American Conference (MAC) starting in the 2025 season.
The RedHawks look to change their momentum after three straight out-of-conference losses. Last week’s loss to the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish saw them put up three points while allowing 28.
Miami had its worst offensive performance of the season against Notre Dame. Sixth-year quarterback Brett Gabbert threw for 119 yards on 14 completions with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. The offensive line allowed four sacks on Gabbert.
The Minutemen earned their first win of the season last week against the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils (2-2), finishing 35-31 in a fourth quarter comeback.
Redshirt senior quarterback Taisun Phommachanh threw for 287 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, his best performance of the season.
Graduate student receiver Jakobie Keeney-James caught five passes for 95 yards and one touchdown, while redshirt sophomore receiver T.Y. Harding caught two passes for 72 yards and earned his first career touchdown off a 57-yard throw.
The game was close going into the fourth quarter, with Blue Devils quarterback Brady Olsen ending the day with 157 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. However, the Minutemen held them to 92 total rushing yards while rushing for 182.
Redshirt junior Jalen John ran for 65 of those yards, and redshirt sophomore Jackson Paradis ran for 54 yards and one touchdown.
All of the Minutemen’s losses came from MAC schools in the Eastern Michigan University Eagles, the University of Toledo Rockets and the University of Buffalo Bulls. UMass only put up a field goal against the Bulls, who downed them 34-3.
The RedHawks played in Amherst, Massachusetts last year in their second game of the season. They bounced back from the previous week’s slaughtering from the University of Miami Hurricanes in a 41-28 victory over the Minutemen. That victory began a six-game winning streak that ended with Gabbert’s mid-season injury against the Rockets.
Miami holds a 4-1 record over UMass. The two teams have faced off sporadically since 2014, but they will see a lot more of each other going forward once the Minutemen join the MAC. UMass football was previously in the conference from 2012-15, but the athletic program as a whole will join next season.
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Miami is coming off of three tough losses to Power Four opponents. This weekend’s homecoming game can be the turning point for the RedHawks if they hope to continue their magical 2023 season.
The RedHawks will wear special blue jerseys in honor of the 50th anniversary of the merger between Miami and the Western College for Women.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 28. It will likely be a rainy affair, similar to the 2023 “Swamp Bowl.”
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