Early Scouting Report: Miami (Ohio) RedHawks

We are about a week away from the Kentucky football team reporting back to campus for the beginning of fall camp. The 2022 college football season is right around the corner.

Over the next month or so, KSR will be diving headfirst into position previews, camp buzz, key personnel battles, and weekly reports as we are all counting down the days to Labor Day weekend. Once that is over, it is on to the grind of the season.

For the fifth year in a row, I will gladly be here to help guide us through what should be a very fun three months on the gridiron. Once again, each Thursday of game week there yours truly will publish an in-depth scouting report of the upcoming Kentucky opponent jam-packed with advanced stats, scheme breakdowns, key matchups, series history, betting information, and much more. The first official one will be here soon.

However, it is never too early to start doing some homework. Over the next couple of weeks before things gets ramped up at fall camp, we’re diving in to give a quick look at each of Kentucky’s 12 opponents on the 2022 slate. First up is a team that has a legit shot at a conference crown this fall.

Let’s begin our Early Scouting Report series at KSR as Kentucky attempts to make a run at an SEC East title in 2022.

Nuts and Bolts

Miami (Ohio) has long been a member of the Mid-American Conference. The university located just north of Cincinnati has a rich history with over 700 all-time wins and an impressive lineage of coaches. The RedHawks earned the nickname “Cradle of Coaches” for a reason.

Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler, Bill Mallory, Jim Tressel, Ron Zook, Randy Walker, John Harbaugh, Gary Moeller, Dick Tomey, Terry Hoeppner, and Sean McVay have all spent time in Oxford. There appears to be something in the water on the campus of this midwestern campus.

However, this is a program that fell on some hard times after winning the MAC title in 2010 and hit an all-time low point with a 0-12 record in 2013. To rebuild the program back to respectability, Notre Dame assistant Chuck Martin was hired following that winless season.

The long-time assistant coach under Brian Kelly spent six years as the head coach of Division II Grand Valley State (Mich.) and won two national championships in six seasons before working for Kelly at Notre Dame for four seasons. While in South Bend, Martin coached the secondary and then switched to become the offensive coordinator in 2012 and 2013. The rising coach was more than qualified for the Miami (Ohio) gig.

After a slow 5-19 start to begin his tenure, the RedHawks had a breakthrough in 2016 going 6-2 in conference play before losing to Mississippi State in the St. Petersburg Bowl. Three years after that, this program made it to Detroit and won the MAC title in 2019 for the first time in a decade. Over the last four seasons, the RedHawks are 19-8 in MAC play but have yet to win more than eight games in a season.

Martin appears to have a squad that could accomplish that this fall.

Transfer Portal recap

As with most programs in college football, Miami (Ohio) saw some two-way movement in the transfer portal. The RedHawks did not lose a ton, but the departures will sting and severely lower the defense’s ceiling.

Ivan Pace Jr. led the team in tackles (125) and had double-digit tackles for loss (13). The Mike linebacker is headed to Cincinnati. Lonnie Phelps led the team in sacks (9.5). The Cincinnati native is headed to Kansas. Opposite Phelps, Kameron Butler logged eight sacks and three forced fumbles. The other edge rusher is now at Virginia.

Those losses will sting.

To help fill a void, Miami (Ohio) added Michigan State safety Michael Dowell (6-1, 215, RSr.), East Carolina cornerback Nolan Johnson (6-2, 194, RSr.), and Iowa State EDGE Corey Suttle (6-4, 247, RJr.) to help fill starting positions. However, all of that pass-rushing production lost will be very hard to replace.

On offense, Virginia Tech transfer Jordan Brunson (6-0, 215, RSo.) will be part of a deep running backs room, Indiana transfer Miles Marshall (6-4, 212, RSr.) should start at receiver, and Holy Cross transfer John Brekke (6-3, 285, Super) has a chance to start at guard for a good Miami (Ohio) offensive line.

Miami (Ohio) offense

Let’s take a look at the numbers that the RedHawks posted last season under offensive coordinator Eric Koehler.

• Scoring: 28.9 (No. 63 overall)
• Yards Per Play: 6.3 (No. 33 overall)
• Yards Per Rush: 4.2 (No. 66 overall)
• Yards Per Attempt: 8.5 (No. 20 overall)
• Pass Play Rate: 50.5% (No. 43 overall)
• Explosive Plays (20+ yards): 69 (T-35 overall)
• Red Zone TD Rate: 57.1% (T-83 overall)

St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers quarterback Brett Gabbert (6-0, 209, RJr.) is entering year four at Miami (Ohio). The younger brother of NFL quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been starting for the RedHawks since his true freshman season. In 2021, his absence was notable.

Gabbert missed three games due to injury, and the statistical drop-off was significant for this unit.

• Without Brett Gabbert (3 games): 20 points per game, 5.5 yards per play
• With Brett Gabbert (10 games): 31.6 points per game, 6.5 yards per play

The six-foot redshirt junior finished the year with a low completion percentage (59.5%) but logged a solid success rate (46.8%) and was a big play-hunter. Gabbert saw 20.1 percent of his throws end as completions of 15 or more yards. The quarterback had eight passes go for 50-plus yards and that ranked inside the top-10 nationally.

The RedHawks hunt for big plays but saw a top playmaker move on.

Gabbert ➡️ Sorenson = 6️⃣

36-yard strike for the @MiamiOHFootball TD! #RiseUpRedHawks | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/naKN1v8LZv

— #MACtion (@MACSports) October 2, 2021

Jack Sorenson was one of the best big play wideouts in college football last season who logged 76 receptions for 1,406 yards and 10 touchdowns. His absence will be missed but this is an offense with some other weapons.

Former Penn State transfer Mac Hippenhammer (5-11, 182, Super) was a dynamic No. 2 option for this passing game last season recording 48 grabs for 786 yards and averaging 16.4 yards per reception. The Indiana native could easily provide WR1 production. To bolster the position around Hippenhammer, Miami (Ohio) went into the portal.

Miles Marshall spent four seasons at Indiana before entering the transfer portal. The 6-foot-4 wideout landed in the MAC and is bringing 57 career receptions to Oxford. Meanwhile, Jalen Walker (5-8, 186, Super) returns in the slot where he finished last season with 31 receptions.

Miami (Ohio) returns four starters on the offensive line with a pair of linemen over 320 pounds. This is one of the biggest lines in the Group of Five and that could help an explosive rushing attack become more efficient this season. Five underclassmen tailbacks received at least 30 carries last season. This could become a strength for the offense this fall.

Expectations should be high for a Miami (Ohio) offense with experience, playmaking, size, and a legit guy at quarterback.

Miami (Ohio) defense

Let’s take a look at the numbers that the RedHawks posted last season.

• Scoring: 23.1 (No. 40 overall)
• Yards Per Play: 5.5 (T-65 overall)
• Yards Per Rush: 3.9 (T-54 overall)
• Yards Per Attempt: 7.6 (T-84 overall)
• Third Down Defense: 37.6% (T-50 overall)
• Sack Rate: 8.6% (No. 20 overall)
• Red Zone TD Rate: 55.9% (No. 46 overall)

There is a lot to like about the offense at Miami (Ohio). The same cannot be said for defensive coordinator Bill Brechin’s unit.

The RedHawks lost 5 of their top 6 tackles off of last season’s squad. Miami (Ohio) does get star linebacker Ryan McWood (6-2, 222, Super) back from injury after missing the entire 2021 campaign. The veteran is now in his seventh season of college football. Matthew Salopek (6-1, 215, RJr.) is also back after recording 112 tackles. The Ohio product can play a multitude of roles for this unit.

Overall, there are just a lot of questions. This defense is very green along the line of scrimmage and must find some new answers in the secondary. That combination could lead to this team finding itself in a lot of shootouts this season.

Outlook

On Tuesday, Miami (Ohio) was named a preseason division winner in the MAC. The media thinks Chuck Martin’s team can return to Ford Field in December for another championship game appearance. There is substance behind that pick.

Brett Gabbert is one of the better quarterbacks in the Group of Five. The redshirt junior flashed legitimate playmaking last season as this should remain a big play offense that has good size and depth combo at both wide receiver and the offensive line. That should allow this group to put up some big numbers.

That offensive production will be needed early as the defense must fill a lot of holes. With games against Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Northwestern in September, this is a team that could threaten early.

In Week 1, Miami (Ohio) will head to Kroger Field, and Gabbert will get a shot at an SEC secondary that is re-tooling at Kentucky. The opener could be a very good litmus test to see where Brad White’s defense stands to begin the year.