Before the 2024 season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have never faced more than one MAC opponent in a single season. That changes on Sept. 21 when the Irish host the Miami of Ohio RedHawks, two weeks after their home opener matchup against Northern Illinois.
Former Notre Dame assistant Chuck Martin is now in his 11th season at Miami and has done well in that role, compiling a 130-69 mark. He replaced Brian Kelly as head coach at Grand Valley State in 2004 and then followed Kelly to the Golden Dome six years later. With the RedHawks, Martin has taken his teams to five bowl games and is coming off his best season yet, an 11-3 campaign in which Miami captured the MAC title.
Miami of Ohio Offense: Gabbert Back in Charge
Brett Gabbert is back behind center after a nasty season-ending leg injury last year. In his eight games, Gabbert threw for 1,634 yards and tossed 14 touchdown passes compared to just five interceptions. He stands just six feet but during his five years at Miami, he’s thrown for nearly 7,900 yards and 59 touchdowns.
The RedHawks were on the wrong side of the transfer portal when they lost their leading rusher from last season, Rashad Amos. Making up his 1,075 yards and 13 touchdowns will be a challenge for Martin and his staff, with Kenny Tracy expected to get the first crack at replacing him. He can block and catch the ball but needs to hold up to the heavy workload he’ll be getting. There’s also Purdue transfer Dylan Dowling, who didn’t see a great deal of playing time in his three years with the Boilermakers. However, he can also catch the ball will provide some badly needed depth.
Like the running game, the Miami receiving corps lost its top player from last year to the transfer portal. Gage Larvadain’s 42 receptions will be missed but the RedHawks will look to use Cade McDonald and Kenny Tracy’s brother, Javon, more often after they combined for 50 grabs in 2023. Rounding out this position will be former Arizona State wideout Andre Johnson, while tight end Jack Coldiron is back after a knee injury in last year’s opener ended his season.
The Miami offensive line is another of the team’s strengths, with tackles Reid Holskey and Will Jados bookending this group. In the middle is center Kolby Borders, with guards John Young and Gavin Rohrs also ready for action. Last season, the RedHawk line allowed only 24 sacks, with their task this year to make sure that Gabbert is fully protected.
Miami of Ohio Defense: Backers Integral to Any Success
On the line, left end Brian Ugwi is back after collecting eight sacks last year. He’s likely to get much more attention from opposing offenses, which puts the onus on the remainder of the line to deliver some sort of impact. That may be a challenge, with right end Corey Suttle and left tackle Nasir Washington are unknown quantities at this point, with Washington hoping to work well with right tackle Kobe Hilton.
Linebacking is the true strength of the Miami defense and will be led on the weakside by the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, Matt Salopek. Between Salopek and middle linebacker Ty Wise, the duo made an eye-popping 265 stops during the 2023 campaign. They may have to match that number if the players in front of them struggle.
In the secondary, cornerback Raion Strader hopes to avoid the sophomore jinx after a strong first season. Fellow soph Mychal Yharbrough will mn the other cornerback slot, while strong safety Eli Blakey is another valuable commodity. Free safety Ambe’ Caldwell and nickel back Silas Walter will also be important when opponents take to the air.
Miami of Ohio Special Teams: Kicking Under the Microscope
There’s a gaping hole when it comes to the RedHawk placekicking duties after Graham Nicholson transferred to Alabama. Nicholson won the prestigious Lou Groza Award last year as the nation’s top collegiate placekicker. Dom Dzioban has the unenviable task of trying to replace Nicholson, while punter Alex Bevelhimer is back after averaging 45 yards per boot in 2023. For the return units, Downing and Kenny Tracy should handle the kickoffs, and McDonald handles punts.
The Last Time Notre Dame Faced Miami of Ohio
This Sept. 30, 2017, matchup ended with the Irish running wild in a 52-17 rout to improve to 4-1 on the year. Notre Dame gained 333 yards on the ground, including 159 on just eight carries from Josh Adams. Scoring on runs of 73 and 59 yards, Adams left before halftime with an injury. His absence was barely noticed, since the Irish tallied 28 points in the opening period and led 45-14 at the half. Two of those first-quarter scores came after Notre Dame’s defense forced a turnover.
