Consistency has no place in Mid-American Conference (MAC) football.
The University of Buffalo Bulls finished their 2023 campaign at 3-9 (3-5 in MAC play) to place 1oth in the conference. After two weeks of conference play this year, the Bulls lead the MAC at 4-2 (2-0 in MAC play).
Only two teams from last year’s top five are still in the top five this year. Teams who were at the bottom of the conference last year have found new-found success, with the Western Michigan University Broncos jumping from eighth last year to third now.
Similarly, the teams who led the 2023 season are dealing with new struggles.
Five games into the year, the defending MAC champions Miami University RedHawks sit at ninth in the MAC with two wins and four losses.
While head coach Chuck Martin recognized all of the changes over the summer in both the conference and at Miami, he feels several teams have the opportunity to be the best.
“I still think there’s four or five teams at the top that are going to be pretty salty, but you never know until you start playing them,” Martin said. “I think I have a pretty good idea of who’s a little bit ahead of the other teams, but we’ll see. Time will tell.”
The 2023 MAC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Salopek believes one of the biggest changes over the summer is the removal of divisions in the conference. The MAC first split into East and West divisions in 1996.
“Getting rid of the divisions is huge,” Salopek said. “You’re not just winning the East and West, now you’re trying to win the entire conference and get to Detroit.”
The RedHawks entered the 2023 MAC slate at 3-1. Through the first weeks of conference play, they went undefeated. Their streak ended against the University of Toledo Rockets when quarterback Brett Gabbert went down with a season-ending injury.
A change in quarterbacks got Miami back on track, and it finished the regular season with four straight wins to clinch a MAC championship appearance, once more against the Rockets.
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These two matchups against Toledo proved to be the toughest conference games the RedHawks faced last season.
“We had two knockdown, drag out games,” Martin said. “We lost to them 21-17, then we beat them in the MAC championship game, and it was really a one score game.”
Salopek said he believes Toledo’s offense was one of the most challenging to face.
“They had Daquan Finn, Penny Boone and three returning starting receivers from the previous year,” Salopek said. “They had a really dynamic quarterback. They were a really good opponent.”
The RedHawks dominated the 2023 season and nearly beat every team in the conference. Martin accredits this success to having a really balanced team, despite the difficulties faced after losing Gabbert.
Gabbert returned for this season, but the rest of the roster looks incredibly different. The transfer portal saw several exits from Miami, notably Aveon Smith, Gage Larvadain, Rashad Amos and Graham Nicholson.
“I think that’s just kind of the nature of college football right now,” Gabbert said. “Every team deals with it. A lot of guys come and go, and you just kind of get used to it.”
Beside the transfer portal, the 2023 MAC championship team lost other contributors, such as Yahsyn McKee and Michael Dowell.
The offense this year has performed worse compared to the first six weeks in 2023. It combined for 2,313 total offensive yards and 21 touchdowns in 2023 through week six compared to 1996 and 11 this year.
Gabbert has been sacked 15 times on the season so far, but Martin said he believes it comes down to the execution of the entire offense.
“We’ve been inconsistent offensively, which is why we haven’t scored a lot of points in our execution and in our play,” Martin said. “It’s been route running, it’s been catching, it’s been throwing, it’s been decision making, it’s been protection. It hasn’t been one area. It’s been all of us.”
As for the other side of the ball, Salopek takes accountability when talking about what adjustments the defense needs to make.
“I think it’s just communication, and I think that starts with me,” Salopek said. “I think I’m the guy that’s making all the checks out there on the field and all the calls, so it’s got to start better with me.”
In their first game against a MAC opponent this year, the RedHawks faced the Rockets for their third matchup in two years. The Rockets took a 30-20 victory.
However, Miami rebounded with a dominant 38-14 win over the Eastern Michigan University Eagles. Gabbert threw his best game with four touchdowns and zero interceptions, and the defense held the Eagles down with an interception and a forced fumble from Salopek.
Hopefully for the RedHawks, this is the statement game they needed to set their eyes toward the MAC championship once again.
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