TOLEDO — The Miami RedHawks got that pivotal first win of the season under their belt last week against Massachusetts.
The RedHawks (1-3) enter Mid-American Conference play with a piece of momentum on their side as they travel to face the Toledo Rockets (3-1) on Saturday.
Here are five things to know going into the game:
1. The right direction
Miami was the only college football team to face three straight Power 4 programs to start the season.
Despite going 0-3 against Northwestern, Cincinnati and Notre Dame, the RedHawks can use their strength of schedule as a measuring stick from here on out.
Miami knocked off UMass 23-20 in overtime on a rainy homecoming to get going in the right direction.
“Wins aren’t easy to come by in college football,” RedHawks running back Kevin Davis said. “For us to finally get the ball rolling, we’ve played tough opponents these past few weeks. Just for us to get the ball rolling, we can play all four quarters.”
2. The series
The RedHawks lead the all-time series 29-23-1 over Toledo but have not beaten the Rockets on the road since Oct. 26, 2002.
There was a 4,382-day span where Miami and Toledo did not face each other from 2011 to 2023. They will square off for the third time since Oct. 21, 2023.
“Going into Toledo, it’s a huge game,” Davis said. “This is our third time playing them in the past 10 games. We know it’s going to be huge with our first conference game. Going into it, there’s a lot of things we have to prepare for.”
3. Scouting the Rockets
Toledo finished non-conference play at 3-1 behind an offense that averages 37.3 points per game.
“They have some new pieces,” Miami coach Chuck Martin said. “The wideouts, the running backs, the tight ends are electric, electric. And their quarterback’s a good player.”
Toledo’s Tucker Glesson has thrown for 862 yards and 11 touchdowns through the first month of the season.
Defensively, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is tops on the team with 38 tackles, while the Rockets have 12.0 sacks this year.
“They’re the twitchy, most athletic, explosive team in the league,” Martin said. “They typically are year in and year out. I don’t think there’d be much of a debate about that. They’re a talented group again this year.”
4. The last meeting
Saturday will be a rematch of the 2023 MAC Championship Game.
Rashad Amos ran for two touchdowns and Aveon Smith added 208 all-purpose yards as Miami defeated No. 23 Toledo 23-14 back on Dec. 2.
“I’m sure they have a lot of vengeance towards us because of the MAC Championship,” Davis said. “It’s going to be a sell-out crowd for their homecoming. It’s going to be a huge game. A lot of emotions and everything, but we’ve got to keep the main thing the main thing which is going in there and playing our best football — being the best Week 5 team we can be. Get a win.”
Austin Ertl blocked a pair of kicks and Graham Nicholson converted three field goals for the RedHawks, who won their 17th MAC title and first since 2019.
Dequan Finn threw for 273 yards to lead the Rockets, who saw their 11-game win streak snapped.
5. Key offensive focuses
Martin said the running game has gradually improved, but he expects it to be one of the main focuses to enhancing Miami’s offense.
The RedHawks didn’t see much production in the rushing department until Week 3 at Notre Dame. The passing game, though, has taken a few steps backward in recent weeks.
“We read the ball much better last week,” Martin said. “We’ve got to continue to run the ball better.”
Miami managed just 64 yards rushing through the first two weeks of the season against Northwestern and Cincinnati. The RedHawks rushed for 110 yards at Notre Dame and added a season-best 168 yards in the win over UMass.
Quarterback Brett Gabbert has thrown for 866 yards and three touchdowns with six interceptions.
“There’s plenty more efficiency,” Martin said. “It’s everything from protections, to the routes, to the quarterback’s decision, to actually the catching. I thought we really fought for the football Saturday (against UMass). I thought we made contested plays Saturday. I think there’s things coming along there. But just more efficiency in the passing game.”
