Preview: Football returns to Oxford looking for third conference win against Eastern Michigan

The Miami University RedHawks football team (3-3, 2-0 in conference play) will return to Yager Stadium on Oct. 18 against the Eastern Michigan University Eagles ( 2-5, 1-2 in conference play). The RedHawks are looking to continue their three-game winning streak and stay undefeated in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play.

Last week’s 20-7 win over the University of Akron Zips brought Miami back to .500, evening its record after it lost the first three games of the regular season. It was the team’s best margin of victory against a conference opponent following a close 25-14 contest against Northern Illinois University.

Seventh-year quarterback Dequan Finn played his best game of the season, throwing for 203 yards (his second-highest of the year) and scoring one touchdown while collecting 65 yards on the ground.

His favorite target on the day was redshirt sophomore receiver Keith Reynolds, who caught seven passes for 48 yards. Finn’s connection with redshirt junior receiver Kam Perry remained strong, as Perry caught two passes for a combined 77 yards and one touchdown.

With the absence of sixth-year running back Kenny Tracy, who reinjured his knee and will miss the rest of the season, the rushing attack relied on redshirt senior running back Jordan Brunson’s 72-yard performance.

The defense kept the RedHawks in the game, with the team finishing with a season-high eight tackles-for-losses (TFL’s), as well as three sacks. Redshirt junior defensive lineman Adam Trick also caught a deflected interception, his first of the year after having two pass breakups previously.

Head coach Chuck Martin said the defense thrived by forcing the Zips to rely heavily on their pass game. When the RedHawks can stifle their opponent’s running backs, they can force them to play in the air, which Martin said is the goal.

“Akron really couldn’t run the ball on us,” Martin said. “Northern Illinois, who’s always been a strong run team, couldn’t run the ball on us. You get teams that are more one-dimensional, and obviously when we got the lead in both games, [they’re] even more so one-dimensional because now they’re chasing some points.”

The Eagles are coming off a 16-10 win over Northern Illinois on Oct. 11, which gave them their first win in MAC play.

Eastern Michigan previously sank to 0-2 after consecutive defeats to the Central Michigan University Chippewas and University of Buffalo Bulls. The win over the Huskies came one week after a 31-30 overtime defeat at Buffalo.

With an even 24-24 score at the end of the fourth quarter, Buffalo drove down the field to take the first advantage in the overtime period. The Eagles reached the endzone with a rush from graduate student quarterback Noah Kim. They attempted a two-point conversion to win the game outright, but a dropped fumble from Kim ensured their defeat by one point.

Eastern Michigan rebounded against Northern Illinois, with Kim throwing for 147 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Graduate student running back Dontae McMillan led the roster with 104 yards.

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With only one touchdown, the Eagles relied on redshirt freshman kicker Rudy Kessinger, whose three field goals proved to be pivotal to their win.

Miami’s last matchup with Eastern Michigan was the start of last season’s seven-game winning streak. The RedHawks hold a 20-6 record against the Eagles.

The RedHawks look to increase their winning streak to four games and maintain their undefeated status in the MAC. They currently rank third in the conference behind the Western Michigan University Broncos and Buffalo.

Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Yager. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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