Preview: Miami football looks to rebound against Toledo at home

The Miami University RedHawks football team (5-4, 4-1 in conference play) welcomes the University of Toledo Rockets (5-4, 3-2 in conference play) to Yager Stadium on Nov. 12 as it looks to regain its momentum following last week’s defeat.

The RedHawks had won four-straight games in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play before heading to the Ohio University Bobcats for this year’s Battle of the Bricks. Miami kept the game close, but a late-game Ohio touchdown followed by an interception from seventh-year quarterback Dequan Finn ended the RedHawks’ winning streak and undefeated status in the conference.

Finn will now play against his former team, having spent five years with Toledo before becoming a RedHawk. He threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns, including a 27-yard one to redshirt junior receiver Kam Perry, against Ohio. Redshirt freshman receiver Braylon Isom also caught his first collegiate touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Both teams were neck-and-neck in various stats. Miami trailed the Bobcats in total offensive yards with 303 to Ohio’s 338, and graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro out-threw Finn by seven yards with 201 total and one touchdown, a 49-yard bomb to redshirt junior receiver Rodney Harris II with two minutes left in the fourth quarter to ice the game.

A crucial mistake that paved the way for a Bobcats win came after Miami’s first touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter. After taking a 13-10 lead, the RedHawks gave up a kickoff return touchdown, their first of the season, to redshirt senior running back Sieh Bangura.

“We got to keep doing what we’re doing,” Hondru said. “Keep playing hard, keep taking it day-by-day. After the loss, things change a little bit, but our mindset doesn’t … [We] just know that we got to win out. We got to win every game, and that’s our mindset.”

The game created a four-way tie for first place in the MAC. Miami, Ohio, the University of Buffalo Bulls and the Western Michigan University Broncos all have a 4-1 record in conference play.

The Rockets enter Yager with a 63.4% chance of victory according to ESPN. Toledo is the best-scoring team in the conference, averaging 32.9 points per game.

Under head coach Jason Candle’s 10th year with the program, the Rockets lead the MAC with 39 touchdowns, 15 of which coming from senior quarterback Tucker Gleason. He also has the second-most passing yards in the conference at 2,030.

Senior receiver Junior Vandeross III leads both Toledo and the conference with nine touchdowns this season, and he is on pace to have his best season at 705 yards so far. He had 957 yards and five touchdowns last year.

The Rockets’ ground attack is equally lethal. Senior running back Chip Trayanum is tied for third in the MAC with eight touchdowns and averages 91 rushing yards per game.

A strong offense matches with one of the best defenses in the MAC for Toledo. The Rockets allow an average of 14.6 points, the lowest in the conference, and 232.6 total yards, the second-lowest in the nation behind the Ohio State University Buckeyes.

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Junior linebacker K’Von Sherman leads the defense with 64 tackles and two sacks. Behind him on the field is junior safety Braden Awls, who leads the MAC with four interceptions, and senior safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, who ties for second with three forced fumbles, in the secondary.

In their first midweek MACtion game on Nov. 5, the Rockets dominated the Northern Illinois University Huskies 45-3. Senior receiver Trayvon Rudolph gave Toledo the lead in the first 30 seconds of regulation with an opening kickoff return, and the Rockets never let up on the gas.

“They seem like at least once a year since I’ve been here, Toledo gets a kickoff return,” Miami head coach Chuck Martin said. “They’ve had a ton of home runs on [kickoff returns]. Based on the last two weeks, they’re gonna be licking their chops.”

Gleason threw two touchdowns and ran for one. Vandeross caught one of those touchdowns, with the other reception going to junior running back Kenji Christian, who also rushed for one alongside Trayanum.

Toledo entered conference play at 2-1 this year, with its one loss coming 24-16 against the University of Kentucky Wildcats. The Rockets dropped their first MAC game 17-16 against Western Michigan and lost again two games later 28-23 to the Bowling Green State University Falcons.

The RedHawks opened MAC play last season on the road against the Rockets. Toledo quickly took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and maintained that distance for the rest of the game, eventually winning 30-20.

Miami is 29-24-1 against Toledo, but it is 1-3 in the series since 2011. The midweek game will be a must-win contest for both teams’ postseason aspirations given the conference standings. The Rockets rank sixth following their win last week.

For Martin, winning against Toledo will require Miami to play equally solid in both halves. He said the team usually plays slow in the first half and picks things up in the second.

“That’s the theme,” Martin said. “As the game goes on, we actually get better and better, which is good … But we’ve got to score more points. Obviously, our second half production has been really good all year.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Yager. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

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