Recap: Miami football rounds out non-conference slate with win at home against Lindenwood

The Miami University RedHawks football team (1-3) shut out the Lindenwood University Lions (2-3) to finish its 2025 non-conference schedule on Sept. 27 at Yager Stadium. The RedHawks took their win 38-0 after scoring 17 points in the first half.

This game marked backup redshirt senior quarterback Henry Hesson’s second start in his five years with Miami. His first one took place almost two years ago at the Cure Bowl in 2023.

“I don’t really like to think about that one,” Hesson said. “It was fun. It was a good time. The conditions weren’t great, so it didn’t really feel like a real football game … But today was awesome. It’s good to be back out there and have dry conditions and be able to throw it around a little bit.”

Hesson’s second start culminated in him throwing for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He targeted nine different players, including three receptions for redshirt junior receiver Kam Perry, who caught 122 yards and both of the RedHawks’ passing touchdowns.

Miami dominated on the ground as well, totaling 264 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Sixth year running back Kenny Tracy led the roster with 134 yards and one touchdown, while redshirt senior running back Jordan Brunson got involved in the fourth quarter with a rushing touchdown of his own.

Today’s win ends Miami’s winless status this season. Head coach Chuck Martin said the team is still improving week-by-week as it prepares for Mid-American Conference (MAC) play to open next week.

“I still think we have a chance to be a really good football team,” Martin said. “We’re not yet, but today was a good step. We got a victory and got to sing the fight song, and everybody feels a little better about themselves, which is important … We gotta have a great weekend and keep getting better and find a way to get a huge road win.”

Halfway through the first quarter, redshirt freshman defensive back Jermaine Agee blocked A.J. Vinatieri’s punt, housing it from the 8-yard line to put Miami up seven, a lead it would hold for the rest of the quarter.

Redshirt senior kicker Dom Dzioban extended the RedHawks’ advantage to two scores with a 33-yard field goal early in the second quarter. After forcing a Lindenwood punt, Miami scored its second touchdown of the day when Hesson found Perry deep for a 31-yard pass in the endzone.

Photo by Kethan Babu | The Miami Student
Redshirt junior receiver Kam Perry celebrates his touchdown in the second quarter with sixth-year running back Kenny Tracy at Yager Stadium on Sept. 27

After multiple punts from both teams, the RedHawks found the ball in their hands with under a minute on the clock. They moved down the field, but Dzioban’s field goal attempt hit the right upright, sending both teams to the locker room with Miami still up 17-0.

The home team rebounded when Miami’s defense forced a quick four-and-out on the Lions’ opening drive of the third quarter. Two big rushes, including a 20-yard scoring play from Tracy, put the RedHawks up 24-0.

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To close out the third quarter, Hesson found Perry again for a 66-yard dot to the endzone, the RedHawks’ longest passing touchdown of the season so far.

“He’s a freak,” Hesson said. “He’s fast, he’s shifty. No one can cover him, we’ve seen that the whole season so far. It’s awesome to have a guy out there that you know you can rely on. He’s going to be open when you need him.”

The defense clamped the Lions at the start of the fourth quarter when redshirt junior linebacker Eli Coppess intercepted Glantz for the second Miami pick of the day. The turnover sent the RedHawks’ offense back out with redshirt freshman quarterback Thomas Gotkowski behind center.

Brunson began taking handoffs in the backfield, which paid dividends for the RedHawks when he rushed for his first touchdown of the season with less than five minutes on the clock. The Lions couldn’t muster up any final-minute points, leading to a 38-0 Miami shutout to add one win to the RedHawks’ record.

Their 1-3 standing puts Miami in the same position as last season, when the RedHawks entered conference play losing three-straight games before winning their final non-conference matchup at home.

This year, the RedHawks hit the road against Northern Illinois University for their inaugural conference matchup on Sept. 27. Hesson said today’s win is a motivation-booster for the team going into next week’s game.

“It’s good for the program,” Hesson said. “We’ve been waiting for it. The guys have been working hard as you can see today … I think it’s going to jump start us into MAC play, which is when we need to be hot and when we need to play our best football.”

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