The Miami University football team welcomes Robert Morris to Yager Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 10. Opening kick is slated for 6 p.m.
Television
The matchup with RMU will be carried live on ESPN3. Dave Wilson will handle play-by-play duties, while Bob Gennarelli will serve as the color analyst.
First And Ten
• Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (707), conference wins (306), MAC Championships (16) and bowl wins (8). The RedHawks also captured the 2019 MAC Championship with a 26-21 win over Central Michigan.
• Although Miami was 4-18 in Coach Martin's first 22 Mid-American Conference games, the RedHawks are 30-12 in the last 42 games versus schools from the MAC, the best record in the conference during that span.
• The RedHawks clinched the MAC East Division Championship with a 6-2 record in 2019, went 2-1 in 2020 and 5-3 in 2021. Miami has now had a winning conference record in five of the past six years.
• Martin, in his ninth year leading the RedHawks, has a new-look coaching staff in 2021. Offensive Coordinator Eric Koehler returns for his ninth year calling plays, while Bill Brechin begins year one as the Defensive Coordinator (ninth year at Miami). Special Teams Coordinator Jacob Bronowski is in his first year with the Red and White.
• Miami is 9-4 in one-score games, dating back to the 2018 campaign. The RedHawks were 5-0 in one-score games in 2019, including a 26-21 victory over Central Michigan in the MAC Championship Game.
• In its last 39 contests, Miami has had a lead at some point in 34 of those games. The only five setbacks were a 42-10 loss at Buffalo in 2020 and four different losses in 2021.
• Miami competed in the 2021 Frisco Football Classic (W, 27-14) and the RedHawks have now been bowl eligible five of the last six seasons. From 2006-15, Miami was bowl eligible just twice.
About Chuck Martin
• Head coach Chuck Martin, who earned that title on Dec. 3, 2013, brings an impressive resume to Oxford, Ohio.
• Not only was he 74-7 in six years at Grand Valley State (2004-09), he has coached in seven national championship games in the past 20 seasons. Martin has an all-time head coaching record of 113-60.
• He has twice been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of the Year and has been a coordinator on both sides of the ball.
• Martin was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Grand Valley State University on Oct. 23, 2015.
About Robert Morris
Robert Morris went 4-6 in the fall of 2021, including a 3-4 mark in Big South play in the Colonials' first full season as an associate member of that league. RMU did not compete in 2020, instead playing three games in the spring of 2021. The Colonials have just one winning season in the last decade, a 7-5 mark in 2019 (their final year as part of the Northeast Conference). RMU lost 22-20 to Dayton last Saturday.
Series Vs. Colonials
This is the first meeting between the two programs.
RedHawks Picked To Win East Division
The MAC media picked Miami to capture the East Division in its yearly preseason poll. The RedHawks received 20 of 24 first-place votes back in late July.
More Preseason Accolades
Phil Steele named 12 RedHawks to his preseason All-MAC squad. Brett Gabbert was named first team All-MAC to lead the Miami offense, while Rusty Feth (second-team) Mac Hippenhammer (second-team), Reid Holskey (third-team), Tyre Shelton (fourth-team) and Jalen Walker (fourth-team) also earned All-MAC honors on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, Matthew Salopek was the lone second-teamer, followed by Jacquez Warren (third-team) and Ryan McWood (fourth-team). Miami was well represented on special teams. Punter Dom Dzioban (second-team), placekicker Graham Nicholson (third-team) and punt returner Jalen Walker (fourth-team) all earned preseason accolades.
Home Cooking
Miami finished a perfect 5-0 at home during the 2019 and 2021 season (1-0 in 2020) and has won 14 straight at Yager Stadium. Miami's last home loss was on Sept. 29, 2018. In all, when Miami hosts Robert Morris on Sept. 10, 2022 it will be 1,442 days since Miami's last loss at home.
Longest Home Win Streaks in School History
1. 22 Wins (1943-1948)
T-2. 14 Wins (1973-1975, 1980-1982)
T-2. 14 Wins (2018-present)
Bounce Back
Since early in the 2016 season Miami has lost back-to-back MAC games just once in that span. In fact, Miami is now 10-1 following a MAC loss under Martin, dating back to Oct. 15, 2016.
Trench Warfare
Miami's offensive line is by far the most experienced unit for the RedHawks in 2022, returning four starters from last season's squad. In all, Miami's offensive line has started 77 combined games. Rusty Feth (23), Reid Holskey (14) and Sam Vaughan (14) started all 13 games for the RedHawks last season and Caleb Shaffer (25) is Miami's most experienced offensive lineman (missed one game last year due to injury). John Brekke, a three-year starter from Holy Cross, made his first career start for the RedHawks last Saturday.
From Zero to Hero
Over the past year, head coach Chuck Martin has awarded six scholarships to walk ons with the football program. Last year Chris Cavalaris and Dominic Nardone earned a free ride and back on Aug. 16, in the middle of fall camp 2022, Oscar McWood, Brendan Beattie, Jack DeJarld and Graham Nicholson were awarded scholarships.
Paging Dr. McWood
Linebacker Ryan McWood (turns 25 on Oct. 13) is in his SEVENTH season with the Red and White. Due to red-shirting the 2016 season, a 2020 COVID year and then a season-ending injury in week one of the 2021 season, McWood is just a handful of college football players playing in their seventh (or eighth) year. The good news of hanging around so long, Ryan's brother Oscar McWood, is now a member of the RedHawks.