Miami Redhawks Football

Miami (Ohio) head coach Chuck Martin dropped a scathing accusation of Alabama tampering in the transfer portal this past offseason.

In a preseason video released by the school's athletic department on Wednesday, Martin was asked about having to replace kicker Graham Nicholson, who transferred to Alabama on Wednesday. Martin didn't hold back in his response.

"We didn't lose him. He's at Alabama. We know exactly where he's at," Martin said of Nicholson, per The Athletic's Justin Williams. "Alabama stole our kicker. They illegally recruited our kicker and stole him from us. That's a fact, but that's college football. … Everybody knows what's going on. Yeah, Alabama stole our kicker."

While the kicker position is usually low on the totem pole for most football rosters. Nicholson isn't just any kicker. As a junior in 2023, he connected on 27 of his 28 field goals and 35 of his 37 extra points on his way to earning the Lou Groza Award, which is presented annually to the best kicker in college football. He became the first kicker from the Mid-American Conference to achieve the honor.

Nicholson announced that he will be spending his senior season at Alabama, giving new head coach Kalen DeBoer another new addition that will benefit him in his first year replacing the legendary Nick Saban.

DeBoer was asked Thursday about Martin's comments about Nicholson and he replied, "I don't know anything about [Martin's comment]. He entered the portal and we reached out to him, that's how it goes right? So we did everything the way we were supposed to."

Martin is understandably not a big fan of the transfer portal. Per Williams, Miami has had a dozen players transfer to power-conference schools over the past four seasons. This offseason, three other key players joined Nicholson in transferring, as running back Rashad Amos left for Ole Miss, wide receiver Gage Larvadain joined South Carolina and defensive lineman Caiden Woullard landed at Oklahoma.

Still, Martin has the RedHawks in a position to compete for another MAC championship. After going 11-3 and winning the conference title last year, Martin is aware of the talent on his team and said he takes pride in the way other schools covet his players.

"Listen, if you're not losing good players at this level, you probably don't have a good team," Martin said. "If they come after 15 of my guys, I probably just had a pretty good year. Last year, they came after about 15 of my guys and we won the MAC. There's a reason. We had good players."

Former NFL linebacker and College Football Hall of Famer Bob Babich died April 3 at the age of 74.

The National Football Foundation announced Wednesday that he died in his home in Clairemont, California.

"An exceptional hard-hitting linebacker, Bob Babich made his mark in Oxford as one of the best in the country," NFF Chairman Archie Manning said. "He was a great guy to be around with a great sense of humor and full of great stories. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."

While Babich was a first-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 1969 NFL draft and played nine seasons for the Chargers and Cleveland Browns, he was best-known for his play at Miami University under Hall of Fame coach Bo Schembechler.

Babich was the 1968 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time First Team All-MAC selection and a team captain.

The American Football Coaches Association, the Sporting News, Playboy and Time Magazine all named him a First Team All-American in 1968.

Kyle Brown of the Cincinnati Enquirer noted Babich remains the only player from Miami University to be selected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

The Miami RedHawks finished the 2021 season with a 27-14 win over the North Texas Mean Green in the Frisco Football Classic on Thursday at Toyota Stadium to finish with a 7-6 record. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools. 

LOVE & HONOR!

The RedHawks are coming home with the 🏆@MiamiOHFootball | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/JzWsuZS9kf

— MACtion (@MACSports) December 23, 2021

It was a fitting end to the season for the RedHawks, who won four of their final six regular-season games to become bowl eligible. It was also a nice bounce-back win for Miami as it fell short of winning the MAC East Division title with a 48-47 loss to Kent State on Nov. 27. 

Before Thursday, Miami hadn't won a bowl game since the end of the 2010 season. It's also the team's third winning season since recording 11 winning campaigns in a row from 1995-2005. 

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Notable Stats

Brett Gabbert, QB, MU: 22/31 for 228 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT

Austin Aune, QB, UNT: 15/32 for 228 YDS, 0 TD, 2 INT and 9 CAR for 28 YDS, 1 TD

Jack Sorenson, WR, MU: 7 REC for 116 YDS

Kenny Tracy, RB, MU: 14 CAR for 92 YDS, 1 TD

Damon Ward Jr., WR, UNT: 6 REC for 70 YDS

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Brett Gabbert, Miami Offense Dominate

It comes as little surprise Gabbert, the brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, had an impressive evening against the Mean Green. 

The sophomore completed 22-of-31 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns against zero interceptions. It was his sixth straight game with at least 200 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. 

It has been quite the turnaround for Gabbert, who has upped his game over the last several weeks. Though it's worth noting the RedHawks had the best passing offense in the MAC during the regular season, having averaged 282.6 yards in the air over 12 games. 

Gabbert entered Thursday's game with a 167.6 passing efficiency rating over his last five games, per Sports Reference. He also threw for 1,682 yards and 17 touchdowns against four interceptions in that span, so it should come as no surprise that he showed out against North Texas. 

He made big plays when necessary, including an 11-yard strike to open up the second half to put Miami up 27-14, and didn't turn the ball over once. 

That's how you answer! @KennyTracy3 goes up the middle for the RedHawk TD!#ESPN | #RiseUpRedHawks | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/lbxtPuYUl1

— MACtion (@MACSports) December 23, 2021

.@BrettGabbert ➡️ @kevsss_jr = 6️⃣

The RedHawks cash in on the turnover and take a 20-14 lead over the Mean Green! #ESPN | @MiamiOHFootball | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/NRjptN4VWx

— MACtion (@MACSports) December 23, 2021

Hey #SCTop10, @Nate_Muersch JUST DID THAT! 👀#ESPN | @MiamiOHFootball | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/CIQfzynhAV

— MACtion (@MACSports) December 23, 2021

It should also be mentioned that Miami entered Thursday's game with a subpar third-down conversion percentage at 38 percent, which ranked 79th in the FBS. Gabbert and Co. converted 50 percent (8-of-16) of their third downs against North Texas, which is a big reason why they won. 

However, Gabbert isn't the only reason for Miami's turnaround success. 

Senior wide receiver Jack Sorenson finished Thursday's game with seven catches for 116 yards. He entered with 961 yards and six touchdowns in his last seven games, a significant turnaround from the 329 yards and four scores he recorded in the team's first five games of the season. 

Freshman running back Kenny Tracy was also impressive, finishing Thursday's game with 14 carries for 92 yards and one touchdown. It was his best game of the season, as his previous high was 50 rushing yards. 

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Mean Green's Rushing Offense Suffers Without DeAndre Torrey

North Texas' offense had been very one-dimensional during a five-game winning streak to close out the regular season. The Mean Green averaged 283 rushing yards per game in that span, largely because of DeAndre Torrey.

Torrey, who recorded 1,214 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 12 games, missed Thursday's game against Miami for unspecified reasons. However, North Texas was expected to perform well on the ground against Miami as Ikaika Ragsdale and Ayo Adeyi entered having rushed for 511 and 479 yards, respectively.

But Torrey's absence was glaring, as the North Texas offense finished with just 89 rushing yards and two rushing scores among Austin Aune, Ragsdale, Isaiah Johnson and Adeyi.

Further highlighting the team's issues on the ground, the Mean Green entered Thursday's game averaging 246.2 rushing yards per game (fourth in FBS). They didn't even come close to that mark against Miami.

In addition, the Mean Green's passing offense underperformed. Quarterback Austin Aune completed 15-of-32 passes for 228 yards and no touchdowns against two interceptions. One of those turnovers was costly, as the RedHawks charged down the field for a touchdown to go up 20-14.

PICK!!!!

ESPN | @MiamiOHFootball | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/kWfiYqrnI7

— MACtion (@MACSports) December 23, 2021

The Mean Green's offensive struggles highlight how well the RedHawks defense played. Miami's rush defense entered having ranked third in the MAC, allowing just 150.7 yards per game on the ground. With that said, it explains why North Texas' rushing offense struggled.

Three Miami University football players have been charged with assault, criminal trespassing and/or disorderly conduct following an Oct. 3 brawl at Theta Chi fraternity in Oxford, Ohio. 

Zach McAuliffe of WCPO-TV outlined the charges from the police report.

"According to the police report, student athletes James Bomba, 19, Terrell Rush, 18, and Dimitri Mitsopolous, 19, all face charges from the incident. Bomba was arrested and charged with assault and criminal trespassing, Rush, is charged with criminal trespassing and Mitsopoulous faces two counts of assault, two counts of trespassing and one count disorderly conduct."

Rush, a safety from St. Louis, has since released a statement to WLWT that he has been "cleared from any charges regarding the fight."

"I have been cleared from any charges regarding the fight, and it has been proven I was not involved. The detectives know, and I was not involved in any fight. I wasn't there. I walked up after the fact. I don't even know who was involved, but I know I wasn't. I have been wrongfully accused of the fight, and I have since then been cleared by Ohio detectives of fighting."

The three players, all of whom are freshmen, have been suspended from the RedHawks program indefinitely.

In addition, a fourth person, 18-year-old Santiago Sandri, has a criminal trespassing warrant out for his arrest, per McAuliffe. Sandri is not affiliated with Miami University.

TMZ Sports released video of the brawl, and numerous fraternity brothers and witnesses provided first-hand accounts to WLWT.

"They just started, like, throwing punches," one witness told the station regarding the alleged attackers.

The people in question were "uninvited guests" who "stormed the property" as members were sitting around a fire pit, per WLWT. One member said the fight was a "full-on ambush" and premeditated.

"They had three guys to one, just like chasing people down," the witness said. "Three people on one, beating them up and kicking them on the ground. It definitely felt like an attack because they had control of all of the area around the building."

A fraternity member spoke with WLWT as well.

"A mass of guys, and some had masks on, hoods up, gloves on, and it was just like a chaotic scene, and we went out there and we all started getting hit from like all sides."

Fraternity members told WLWT that five members were sent to the hospital, including one person who was struck in the eye with a golf club.

"He had taken a golf club to the eye, and he has a fractured orbital from it, but he's expected to recover and no surgery is needed," one member said of that reported injury.

Miami University released a statement that it is investigating the incident and that students can face university disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

Former UCLA linebacker Jaelan Phillips has decided to transfer to the University of Miami.

The player announced his decision Thursday on Twitter:

The Wait is Over...Officially a HURRICANE 🙌🏽⛓🌴 I can’t wait to get to work, #TNM is going to be a problem for the opposition 🤞🏽💯 Thank you God for giving me a second chance 🙏🏾 the COMEBACK is going to be something serious pic.twitter.com/yWhfKJnUlL

— Jaelan Phillips ;🕴🏾® (@JJPhillips15) February 22, 2019

Phillips was a huge prospect out of high school, considered the No. 1 overall player in the 2017 class by 247Sports' composite rankings. However, he only appeared in 10 games in his first two years at UCLA before deciding to transfer out of the program.

He totaled 4.5 sacks and 41 tackles in his time with the Bruins.

Phillips left the program in December of his sophomore season due to injury problems after a concussion and other issues limited him to just four games played, per Tracy Pierson of 247Sports.

If he can stay healthy, the California native can be an impact player for the Hurricanes. At 6'5", 245 pounds, he has excellent size at the position with enough athleticism to be an elite pass-rusher at the college and possibly NFL level.

Meanwhile, this continues an impressive stretch of transfers joining Miami this offseason.

The program has added tons of talent since Manny Diaz took over for Mark Richt as head coach, including Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell, Auburn running back Asa Martin and USC safety Bubba Bolden. 

Like Phillips, all of these players were highly touted out of high school but haven't lived up to expectations in college.

He will also rejoin Chigozie Nnoruka, who transferred from UCLA to Miami as well.

Miami will hope these additions will be enough to bring the program back to prominence. 

One calendar year ago, the Miami Redhawks’ basketball team was sitting at 10-11 and preparing for the final month of the season before the MAC tournament. Their point guard, a four-year starter, was putting the finishing touches on a stellar collegiate career.

As the final buzzer went off on Quinten Rollins’ basketball days, he had clearly left a positive mark on the program. Rollins’ imprint on the Miami record books is significant; ranking second in career steals (214), fourth in assists (391), seventh in games started (106), and ninth in minutes played (3,448).

After the basketball season, Rollins toyed with the idea of playing football for his final year of eligibility. In an interview with Dane Brugler of CBS Sports, Rollins decided playing football could help clarify his future.

…my senior year came around and I sat down with Coach (Chuck) Martin and we saw eye to eye. I gave spring ball a shot and it worked out pretty well. It was basically a tryout kind of deal whether or not he was going to give me a scholarship. And fortunately I was able to make enough plays for that to happen.

The last time Rollins had played football, he was primarily a running back and receiver. His experience on defense was as a roaming playmaker, or essentially a strong safety in the mold of Troy Polamalu.

Fast forward back to present day, and it’s almost unbelievable Rollins only played one season on the college gridiron. His one and only campaign resulted in 73 tackles, seven interceptions and nine pass breakups. The seven interceptions were tied for third nationally.

The NFL took notice of Rollins’ abilities and invited him to the 2015 Reese’s Senior Bowl. The Senior Bowl is a great test for small-school prospects that don’t usually get to play elite talent on a weekly basis, as every snap in practice is dissected. Almost unsurprisingly after seeing how far Rollins has progressed thus far, the cornerback held his own all week and showed the hype is warranted.

To get a better feel for what Rollins brings to the table, I went and looked at seven of his games in 2014 and wrote a scouting report based on his strengths and weaknesses. With some visual aids, let’s take a look at the dual-sport phenom’s football acumen.

Strengths 

When evaluating Rollins, the first thing that has to be mentioned is his frame. The NFL is filled with cornerbacks of all sizes, but some teams tend to avoid smaller cornerbacks. Rollins shouldn’t have that issue, as he measured 5’11”, 193 pounds at the Senior Bowl.

On the field, Rollins plays bigger than he is listed. He has a thick build that allows him be a physical presence in the secondary. Just to the naked eye, he looks like a dribble-drive point guard, and a bulldog-type cornerback. His frame fits his game.

His willingness to be physical with his body is one of the most impressive areas of his game. To be a strong run defender on the boundary, being effective is mostly about effort and functional strength. Some cornerbacks don’t care about this aspect of the game because effective coverage is a bigger part of their job description.

Rollins doesn’t take that liberty, though. Of the seven games I saw, he missed only two tackles he had a reasonable chance at getting. His form is nearly flawless, as he approaches the ball carrier low to the ground so that he can explode forward and deliver a blow.

He’s relentless fighting through blockers as well. Rollins is a pest for receivers that don’t want to put much effort into blocks, as he takes it very seriously. Below is a good example.

Looking at Rollins’ coverage talent, it’s clear he’s a natural playmaker. His seven interceptions were far from flukes, coming scattered throughout the season in different situations. He didn’t waste time to show his ability to read plays and stay in position, either, as he logged four interceptions in the first four games of his career.

Throughout football, collegiate and professionally, many cornerbacks have a bad habit of playing the receiver more than the ball. It’s maddening, as the ball belongs to the cornerback as much as the receiver. This results in many pass interference calls and blown opportunities for a turnover.

That’s why Rollins’ natural instinct to locate and play the ball is invaluable. A turnover is a premium result of a play for the defense and can be one of the few differences between a win and a loss. Make no mistake; it’s hard to find a defensive back that sniffs out the route as early as Rollins did.

Athletically, Rollins has the ability to stick at cornerback long term. His ability to line up directly over the receiver, mirror movements off the snap, and then turn and run downfield is crucial. Every defense in the league plays a variety of man and zone coverages to some extent, so that versatility is a major plus. Rollins has enough fluidity in his hips to smother comebacks, or go deep on post routes.

In zone, Rollins is a star. Zone coverage allows the cornerback to open his hips early and just read the quarterback and receiver. If the receiver gets into his assigned area, the cornerback acts. Rollins’ anticipation and play recognition are excellent, regardless of his inexperience.

Weaknesses 

Although Rollins measures and weighs well, his arm length is a bit of a concern. The premium placed on height can an overrated part of the puzzle for projection, but length isn’t. There’s a reason why the Seattle Seahawks prefer players with certain arm measurements; players with length help limit explosive plays.

Rollins’ arm length measurement of 29 3/8” could be an issue. He struggles in press coverage at times, which isn’t surprising because he is underdeveloped with technique and lacks experience. But without length, the receiver can get upfield without being touched easier. Take a look below, where Rollins loses on a slant route because he cannot recover from his length limiting him.

Overcoming this may not be a big issue as Rollins improves and gets more snaps to practice, but it narrows the margin for error greatly. Arm length can also help in jump ball situations against taller receivers and when breaking toward the ball to make a pass breakup.

Breaking down is where Rollins has the most issues; it is with deep routes. For the most part, he smothers underneath routes with impressive efficiency. His ability to trigger from his backpedal and explode forward is certainly above average.

But when going deep, either Rollins lacks straight-line speed, or he’s struggling with his footwork early in his coverage and doesn’t have necessary makeup speed. It’s hard to tell from his film because he wasn’t getting burned every game.

In the screenshot above, we see the receiver’s lead shoulder is well ahead of Rollins’, and Rollins is in a compromising position at this point. The quarterback notices his slot receiver has the leverage and targets him for a completion. By the time the ball arrives, Rollins is well behind the receiver.

At the Senior Bowl, Rollins didn’t appear to be lacking deep speed. It’s difficult to tell from television broadcast angles where Rollins is losing on deep routes, but if it turns out he is speed deficient, a move to safety is possible. For what it is worth, I think his footwork is the bigger issue than straight-line speed, or else he would be targeted deep on every play, and that isn’t the case.

Rollins should improve his technique as he receives more coaching in the NFL. His biggest issues just come from lacking experience, such as where to place hands when jamming, or when to be physical with the receiver downfield. Footwork wise, he needs to keep his lower and upper body aligned so he stays balanced, but this wasn’t a constant issue.

Conclusion 

The NFL is desperate for good cornerbacks and safeties. Even if a team has two good starters, injuries can ravage the position quickly, and in today’s NFL, that can spell doom to a defense. There is a premium on all defensive backs that are physical with good ball skills.

That’s a large reason why Quinten Rollins has skyrocketed in the 2015 NFL draft process. He currently ranks as the third-best cornerback and 31st-overall prospect in the class by CBS Sports. Again, one year ago, he wasn’t even committed to playing football for the Redhawks.

Everything considered, Rollins is a project at cornerback, but his innate ability to locate and play the football is special. He can become a very good and reliable starting defensive back if he’s given time to refine some of the smaller details that separate the good from being even better.

If his first year at the position is any indicator of how much he can improve, there’s no reason to think he won’t maximize his potential.

All stats used are from sports-reference.com.

Ian Wharton is a Miami Dolphins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, contributor for Optimum Scouting, and analyst for eDraft. 

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Hiding somewhere in the college football coaching ranks are the next versions of Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.

It's inevitable. As the big dogs—who have won more than one national championship—wind down their careers, a couple of younger guys will work their way through the ranks to become supercoaches. It happens covertly, behind the scenes, until one day we wonder, "Where did that guy come from?"

A prime candidate for such a run is Chuck Martin, the new head coach at Miami—the one in Ohio, not the one in Florida.

Take a look at Martin's credentials and then file his name away for future reference. He's one of the guys who might be the guy in 10 years' time.

The Story

Martin began his college football journey from 1986-90 as a safety and place kicker at Millikin University, a D-III program in Decatur, Illinois. He earned All-American honors at both positions and was also named a GTE Academic All-American. 

Martin graduated with an accounting degree from Millikin and went on to get his master's in physical education from Mankato State, now known as Minnesota State University, Mankato, in 1993. This is also where he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant from 1992-93.

After Mankato, Martin made assistant coaching stops at Wittenberg University (a D-III program in Springfield, Ohio), alma mater Millikin and Eastern Michigan before securing a defensive assistant position under Brian Kelly at D-II Grand Valley State in 2000.

Martin was promoted to head coach at Grand Valley State in 2004, succeeding Kelly who moved on to Central Michigan. He led the Lakers to a 74-7 record in six seasons, including five conference crowns and back-to-back D-II national championships.

In 2010, Martin followed former boss Kelly to Notre Dame, where he was initially hired to coach the secondary and coordinate recruiting.  In 2012, he was promoted to offensive coordinator, where he stayed until accepting the Miami job in December of 2013.

 

The Numbers

What's impressive about Martin's coaching resume is that he has had tremendous success both as a D-II head coach and as a coordinator at a powerhouse FBS program.

This answers several "can he?" questions, such as, "can he transition from a coordinator to a head coach?" and "can he survive in big time college football?"

As the head coach at Grand Valley State, Martin engineered a 40-0 run from Aug. 27, 2005, to Dec. 8, 2007, finally dropping a game in the '07 D-II semifinals. Perhaps even more impressive is the 48-0 regular-season game run Martin and the Lakers scored from Oct. 30, 2004, to Oct. 3, 2009.  

The Lakers never fell below double-digit wins in Martin's six seasons, were 16-4 in postseason play and outscored opponents overall 2,844 to 1,186.

Though the success Martin enjoyed at Grand Valley State was built on the solid foundation that Kelly laid before him, it's Martin who holds the honor of being the Lakers' all-time winningest coach. Take a look at how his numbers stack up against Kelly and Matt Mitchell, who's been at the helm since 2010.

	Years	Record	%	10+ Wins
Kelly	13	118-35-2	77	3
Martin	6	74-7-0	91	6
Mitchell	4	39-11	78	2

The numbers are proof that Martin can sustain an unmatched level of excellence. His story is not about a guy riding another coach's coattails or that of a dynasty program where it's impossible to screw it up.

At Notre Dame, Martin was the offensive coordinator in 2012 when the Irish ran the tables for a 12-0 regular-season finish and a spot in the BCS title game.

While Notre Dame's offensive output stayed static under Martin, the big change when he took over the reins as coordinator was a significant reduction in turnovers. Take a look at the progression in the Kelly era, keeping in mind that Martin became the OC in 2012.

	2010	2011	2012	2013
Turnovers	24	29	15	17
FBS Rank	71	110	14	21
Record	8-5	8-5	12-1	9-4

Under Martin, Notre Dame committed half as many turnovers as it did the previous two years. Though this drop could be explained in a number of different ways, it stayed down in 2013, which points to strong leadership and a culture change. The team made fewer mistakes under Martin, and this led directly to more wins.

 

The Challenge

So, how big of a challenge does Martin face at Miami? Take a look.

	2010	2011	2012	2013
W/L	10-4	4-8	4-8	0-12
Off. PPG	21.6	21.3	23.3	9.8
FBS Rank	98	103	92	124
Def. PPG	23.2	22.9	34.9	35.7
FBS Rank	44	39	103	107

The statistics make two points clear. First, Martin and his staff will have to revamp a program that's struggled—on both sides of the ball—for at least two seasons. Second, though Miami didn't win a game last season, it is only three years removed from a 10-win campaign. 

Though it's going to be difficult, it's far from impossible. And remember, success is relative. Martin won't need to win a string of MAC titles to be considered an attractive candidate for a head role at a bigger program. A couple of well-engineered, bowl-eligible seasons should be all it takes for him to become a hot commodity on the coaching carousel.

 

The Approach

The big question looms, how is Martin going to take his experience and skills and transform both Miami football and advance his own coaching career? Take a look at what he had to say to Sports Illustrated's Martin Rickman:

We want to be like that kid who likes to fight. He may not even be the strongest or the meanest, but if you beat him up on Monday and Tuesday, he wants to fight you again. That kid you never want to get in a fight with because you know it's never ending. You get sick of beating him up and by Thursday, it's getting old and he's still coming at you.

The big unknown is how Martin will fare turning things around at Miami. At Grand Valley State, he took over a program that Kelly had groomed into a double-digit winning machine and sustained the success. Though he earned everything he got, he's never been the guy who righted the ship by himself.

If you're wondering if little Miami of Ohio can spark a meteoric rise through the coaching ranks, remember this is the same program that launched such luminaries as Earl Blaik, Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Weeb Ewbank, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler, Jim Tressel, John Harbaugh and Sean Payton.

It's the Cradle of Coaches, friend, and there's a new baby in the crib.

Statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference College Football, College Football Data Warehouse and cfbstats.com. Biographical information courtesy of Miami.

Don Treadwell has a long-standing connection with Miami University, located in Oxford, Ohio. He played for the RedHawks as a wide receiver from 1978 to 1981, when the team was known as the Redskins.

Once his playing career was over, Treadwell would once again return to the school, serving as the running backs and wide receivers coach from 1992 to 1993. After eventually becoming a successful offensive coordinator elsewhere and leading Michigan State as an interim head coach for a couple games in 2010 while Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio recovered from a heart attack, Treadwell would once again return to his alma mater in 2011, this time as head coach.

Unfortunately for Treadwell, there was no happy ending to this reunion. Miami fired Treadwell as the team's head coach on Sunday, in addition to firing offensive coordinator John Klacik (h/t CBSSports).

In two-and-a-half seasons at the helm, Treadwell was never able to turn the RedHawks into winners.  His first two season both ended with identical 4-8 records, including a 3-5 conference record in each of those seasons.

With his seat already hot from that pair of lackluster seasons to begin his tenure in Oxford, Treadwell needed a big turnaround this season.  What he got instead would seal his fate.

The RedHawks started off this season 0-5, including a 9-21 loss to fellow MAC team Central Michigan on Saturday that wound up being the final game of Treadwell's time in charge of the team.

Klacik's firing also comes as no surprise, as the failure of his offenses to get anything going was one of the major factors in the RedHawks' struggles this season. Miami has yet to score more than 14 points in a game so far this season, and is averaging only 8.8 points per game.

So far, an interim replacement for Treadwell has not been announced.

Miami, Ohio

The words Miami of Ohio probably aren't the first words that come to mind when you think about college football's most prolific passing combination. However, the Redhawks quarterback Zac Dysert to junior wide-receiver Nick Harwell is exactly that.

Dysert's 8,530 career passing yards ranks third in the FBS amongst returning quarterbacks. Harwell's 2,296 receiving yards rank third amongst receivers.

Former Michigan State offensive coordinator Don Treadwell is in his second year as head coach for the Redhawks. The second year is usually a year for vast improvement within a new system, and Treadwell has plenty of experience and motivation.

This is his first head coaching job, but he paid his dues as an assistant for nearly three decades. I think we'll see a more polished product on the field in Oxford this season

The Redhawks win/loss record from 2011 may not blow anyone away, but a closer look shows that they tend to play well in the openers as huge underdogs, and against Ohio State.

At the end of the third quarter of the Redhawks 2011 opener, they trailed No. 21 Missouri 10-6.  Only a year before, they trailed Florida 21-12 with 13:30 left in regulation.

In 2000, the last time Ohio State and Miami faced each other on the gridiron, the score was 20-16 after three quarters. Ohio State tacked on a late touchdown to win 27-16. I was sitting in the second row biting my fingernails into the quick.

It wasn't the first time Ohio State had a nail-biter against an underdog, in-state foe. Bowling Green State University nearly pulled-off upsets versus Ohio State in 2003 (24-17), and 1992 (17-6).

Ohio State has everything to lose and very little to gain in these in-state match-ups versus MAC teams. In most cases, these teams are full of players who were passed over in the Buckeyes recruiting process. For these young men, there is no bigger stage than to upstage Ohio State in Ohio Stadium in front of their friends and family.

Ohio State

Coach Urban Meyer reinvigorated the program. He has brought the program back from the depths of despair following NCAA sanctions, and the first losing season in 25 years. All this, and he still hasn't coached a game for Ohio State.

ESPN All-Access provided an inside look at Urban's first training camp as the Buckeyes new head coach. It immediately became clear that Urban and his new staff provided energy, efficiency and an urgency that hasn't been in Columbus since the days of Woody Hayes. The 2012 Ohio State team will not just go quietly into the night.

Strength coach Mickey Marotti has made sure of that.

Since January, the team has risen out of bed in the wee hours of the morning for workouts. During two-a-days, the team spends their break in-between practices sleeping on inflatable mattresses strategically placed throughout the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility. Why? Because Urban doesn't think they should leave.

Urban has committed to his family to come home on time, and to "be there" when they need him. The result? He's even more obsessed with effort and efficiency during practice. This is the time he has, and you better not waste it.

So forget about the letdowns associated with post-season bans. This Ohio State team's goal is to go undefeated, and beat-down that team up north in what now becomes this team's Superbowl, their National Championship.

The Game: Miami, Ohio vs. Ohio State Saturday, September 1, 2012

Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes have been trying to polish up one of the worst passing games in the country last season (114th). He says they've made huge strides in the passing game since the spring. The problem for Ohio State in this game is that passing the ball will be playing to Miami's defensive strength, their secondary.

The Redhawks finished 24th in FBS pass defense last season, and they return both corners, as well as one of their safeties. The other safety was moved to linebacker because of all the talent and depth Miami has in the defensive backfield.

The Ohio State wide-receivers are still trying to prove their worth, and Ohio State's receivers versus Miami's DB's is probably the only positional edge that Miami holds in this game.

This means we will see more carries for Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller.

Ohio State will have a gigantic size advantage up front on offense. Those expecting to see Urban throw the ball all over the place may be disappointed, but they won't be disappointed with the result.

The difference in the game will be the turnover margin.

Ohio State is in for another in-state battle if the Redhawks snatch the ball like prey out of mid-air. If Braxton chooses his timing and targets wisely, it will occupy the defensive backfield and make Miami even more susceptible to the run. I think that is what happens. The only question is when does it start.

Miami should have some success throwing the ball, but as good as Miami's defensive backfield is, Ohio State's is even better. Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby should be an important factor in the game.

Prediction:

Ohio State 31
Miami 13

MVP:Carlos Hyde

*sources

muredhawks.com

ohiostatebuckeyes.com

espn.go.com