Preview: Miami football welcomes UNLV to Yager for home-opener

The Miami University RedHawks football team will host its home-opener game at Yager Stadium on Sept. 20 for a noon kickoff against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Rebels.

Before their bye week, the RedHawks took their second loss against the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights. Miami’s offense outperformed its week-one counterpart, but dominating second and fourth quarters from Rutgers saw the Big Ten opponent win 45-17 on Sept. 6.

Sixth-year quarterback Dequan Finn threw for 251 yards and one pick against Rutgers while netting 85 rushing yards. Finn and redshirt first-year running back D’Shawntae Jones rushed for one touchdown each, keeping the score within seven early in the third quarter before Rutgers officially took command of the game.

With one additional week without a matchup to prepare for this weekend, head coach Chuck Martin said the RedHawks worked especially hard on improving their consistency over the past two weeks.

“It’s different,” Martin said. “We get two more practice weeks, and I think an experienced team like last year was kind of like, ‘It’s too early, you could use it later in the year when you have more bumps and bruises’ … But for us, can we spend two weeks [getting] more consistent? How much more consistent can we try to play our systems the way we want to play our systems against UNLV and force them to physically beat us.”

After their back-to-back Big Ten road matchups, Miami returns to Oxford hoping to continue its home winning streak from last season. The RedHawks successfully defended their home turf five times in 2024 and haven’t lost at Yager since last year’s Battle for the Victory Bell on Sept. 14. Miami is 12-5 at home in the last three years.

The Rebels and the RedHawks will meet for the first time in either program’s history.

UNLV became the only undefeated team in the Mountain West Conference following its 30-23 win over the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins on Sept. 6. The Rebels are 3-0 and one of 39 teams in the nation that haven’t lost yet.

Junior quarterback Anthony Colandrea played an efficient game against UCLA, throwing for 203 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Colandrea threw a touchdown each to redshirt senior tight end Var’Keyes Gumms, redshirt senior receiver Troy Omeire and redshirt senior tight end Nick Elksnis.

Six receivers have caught a touchdown this season. Senior receiver Jaden Bradley leads the roster with 13 receptions and 262 yards.

On the ground, junior running back Jai’Den Thomas has carried the Rebels with four touchdowns and 273 net rushing yards. Last year, Thomas finished with 918 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, good for seventh in the same conference that included current Las Vegas Raider Ashton Jeanty, who led the nation with 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024.

Defensively, the Rebels will rely on senior defensive backs Aamaris Brown and Laterrance Welch in the secondary. The duo has five combined interceptions through their first three games. Brown also leads the roster with two sacks.

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UNLV has found success so far in head coach Dan Mullen’s first season with the Rebels. Mullen previously coached at the University of Florida and Mississippi State University.

For Miami to defend Yager, the RedHawks will need to recuperate from their offensive mistakes against the University of Wisconsin and Rutgers to face the Rebels’ formidable defense. Miami improved on offense against Rutgers with 168 more passing yards and 83 more rushing yards compared to Wisconsin. However, both sides of the ball need to play four consistent quarters against a UNLV squad looking to keep its undefeated status.

Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Yager on Sept. 20. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

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