Miami dominates Holy Cross for first with of the 2026 campaign

The Miami University football team (1-1) defeated the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders (0-3) in a convincing 45-7 fashion.

Freshman quarterback David McComb wasted no time getting the RedHawk offense going. Leading Miami down the field, McComb capped off a 58-yard drive with a rushing touchdown for the first score of the game.

The RedHawks found the endzone on their next drive courtesy of McComb’s arm. Rolling to his right, the young quarterback found redshirt junior Christian Ross for a 34-yard touchdown. Miami took a 14-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, redshirt sophomore D’Shawntae Jones opened the scoring with his second rushing touchdown of the season. McComb found junior Damarion Witten for a 10-yard score on the next drive, the RedHawks doubling their lead to 28-0.

On the next drive, the Crusaders went three-and-out, forcing a punt. Do-it-all freshman Scoop Smith showed his versatility as he blocked a punt that redshirt sophomore Leo Colombi carried to the endzone.

“Our assistant coaches convince [our players] that fourth down is just another play,” head coach Chuck Martin said. “We have a lot of [key contributors] who play on special teams, you don’t see that [often] and that's why we are so good.”

McComb’s final action of the game was a 28-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior Lynel Billups-Williams, extending Miami’s lead to 42-0. In his first start at Yager Stadium, McComb finished with 234 passing yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a perfect 13-13 on pass attempts.

“I don’t think the ball hit the ground," said McComb in his postgame remarks. “That’s so good. Everybody’s running routes exactly where they’re supposed to be. As a quarterback, it feels great to have your guys where they’re supposed to be.”

Both teams wanted to cruise through the second half and avoid the incoming rain. Miami tacked on three points with a Kellan McLaughlin field goal, while the Crusaders found the endzone on a short pass from quarterback David Lynch. The teams agreed to shorten the fourth quarter to 10 minutes as neither offense scored. The final score from Yager Stadium resulted in a 45-7 RedHawk win.

Miami will travel 45 minutes south on Route 27 to take on the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. ead coach Chuck Martin hopes his team can take what it learned this game in its next matchup against a Power Four opponent.

“David had a really good day decision making, but there weren’t six [Pitt] Panthers in his face all day,” Martin said. “We are right back to what we saw from Pitt last week. They have a lot of talent. It will be a totally different style of game next week.”

The RedHawks look to keep their momentum going next week at TQL Stadium for their 3:30 kickoff against the Bearcats.