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Preview: RedHawks prepare to close out regular season with another ring in sight

Reggie Virgil celebrating a sideline catch last week against Northern Illinois
Reggie Virgil celebrating a sideline catch last week against Northern Illinois

The Miami University RedHawks football team heads into the final stretch of the 2024-2025 year at 7-4 (6-1 in conference play). 

Miami currently stands at the top of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and Ohio University trailing behind with a tied conference record of 5-1. 

The team played its last home game of the year on Nov. 19, when it took on the Northern Illinois University Huskies. To close out the regular season, Miami will play BGSU on the road on Nov.29. 

The final regular season game is the only thing standing between Miami’s return to Ford Field to compete for another MAC Championship. After a 1-4 start to the year, Miami needed to win out the rest of the season, including seven consecutive wins, to be in contention for a ring. 

Leading up to the NIU matchup, senior running back Keyon Mozee gained a career high total of 198 rushing yards, his sixth game of the season with over 100 yards. Miami was undefeated in each game in which he executed this. 

Sixth-year quarterback Brett Gabbert had also surpassed 10,ooo career passing yards, making him the third player to do so in program history. Sixth-year linebacker Matt Salopek was on the cusp of achieving 100 tackles for the fourth consecutive year, and Miami became bowl eligible for the seventh year in a row. 

Going into the game, NIU stood at 6-4 overall with recent eligibility for a bowl game, mirroring Miami. Following a win against Akron, the Huskies saw strong performances from Telly Johnson Jr. and Gavin Williams. 

During a press conference last week, head coach Chuck Martin provided some insight as to what was expected to come for the remainder of their season. 

“We have two phenomenal opponents in a row coming up here, two of the best teams in our league,” Martin said. “It’s going to take everybody.” 

Martin also took some time to reflect on his players’ performances this season, highlighting which individuals have risen to the occasion. 

“We knew they had a high ceiling, but they’ve kind of become what we thought they would become,” Martin said. “For defense, we have Eli Blakey, Silas Walters, Adam Trick … I know we have good players, but those are guys who have really come on and stepped in and filled roles that needed to be filled.”

Junior linebacker Adam Trick commented on this. 

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“It’s been a lot of work to get to this point, so I’m glad that it’s being recognized, and [I’m] just happy to help the team out,” Trick said. 

In the Falcons’ last game against Western Michigan, Harold Fannin Jr. landed himself on the nation’s receivers list for receiving yardage after 10 grabs for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Their only conference loss so far has been from the Huskies, and they play Ball State this Saturday at Scheumann Stadium for an anticipated win. 

This is arguably the toughest game for Miami this season. 

“We know it’s do or die at this point in our season,” Trick said. “We’re just really excited to compete and get to another MAC Championship.” 

Running back Kevin Davis shared similar thoughts heading into the last few games of his football career. 

“While we respect them, we definitely aren’t afraid of them,” Davis said. “We know these next couple of weeks and next couple practices are full on go-time, and we’re going to have to anchor down.”

The RedHawks have a highly anticipated match-up ahead of them with a back-to-back title on the line. 

Kickoff is scheduled for noon on Nov. 29.

centresj@miamioh.edu

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