Miami University RedHawks: CFN College Football Preview 2021
College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Miami University football season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Miami University Football Schedule
– Miami RedHawks Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2020 Record: 2-1 overall, 2-1 in MAC
Head Coach: Chuck Martin 8th year, 32-48 at MU
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 93
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 111
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 47
Miami RedHawks College Football Preview 2021: Offense
– The offense worked twice and Miami won, it didn’t work against Buffalo and that was the loss. It’s Miami, so the running game wasn’t special, but the offense as a whole averaged a mediocre 365 yards and 29 points per game. There might be a few key losses, but with eight starters expected back, the O should go around …
– The running game? Again, it’s Miami – it hasn’t had a decent ground attack for over a decade – but it’s got a loaded backfield returning.
Leading rusher Zach Kahn is gone – he got all two of the team’s rushing scores – but No. 2 back Kevin Davis returns along 2019 741-yard, 14-touchdown back Jaylon Bester – he missed last year hurt – along with Tyre Shelton, a 587-yard back from two years ago.
All-star linemen C Danny Godlevske (Oklahoma State) and OT Tommy Doyle are gone, but it’s still a very gig, experienced group that wasn’t bad in pass protection in the three games.
– Brett Gabbert and AJ Mayer split the quarterback duties. They combined to throw just one pick, but Gabbert was the more efficient and effective passing option is the better runner of the two.
The receiving corps has more than enough talent in place to keep the deep shots going. Leading target Jack Sorenson seems like he’s been around for forever, and he was great catching 18 passes for 354 yards and four scores in the three games. TE Jack Coldiron was the second-leading receiver with six catches, and all the main wideouts are back.
– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Miami University Football Schedule
NEXT: Miami RedHawks College Football Preview 2021: Defense
Miami RedHawks College Football Preview 2021: Defense
– It was only a three-game season, and it struggled against the two MAC stars – Ball State and Buffalo – and stuffed the miserable Akron team. With ten starters expected back, the RedHawks should be able keep the nation’s top pass rush going – they averaged over four sacks per game – but they have to be a whole lot better on third downs.
– Where did the pass rush come from? Kameron Butler led the way with 2.5 sacks at one end spot, but he’s not alone. Dominque Robinson is a player on the outside and Lonnie Phelps and Ben Kempler form a good tandem at one spot.
There’s not a lot of beef in the interior, but again, experience isn’t a problem for this D. There’s going to be a decent rotation inside – it’ll be a fresh group.
LB Ryan McWood on the inside and Ivan Pace on the outside make a ton of tackles. They were 1-2, respectively, in stops with the 224-pound McWood about to flirt with 100 tackles – he made 99 in 2019. He also came up with one of the team’s two picks.
– The safeties are solid but the corners need work. The strength is at safety around veteran tackler Sterling Weatherford, who followed up his 98-tackle 2019 season by finishing third on the team with 18 stops. The main guys on the outside are gone, but the corners aren’t starting from scratch.
– What You Need To Know: Offense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Miami University Football Schedule
NEXT: Miami RedHawks College Football Preview 2021: Top Players
Miami RedHawks College Football Preview 2021: Top Players
Best Miami RedHawks Offensive Player
WR Jack Sorenson, Sr.
One of the main men for the passing game and the offense over the last three seasons, the 6-0, 192-pound senior made 115 catches with ten scores – averaging close to 15 yards per catch – over his three seasons.
Quick enough to be used as a punt returner and with the deep speed to make big things happen, he hit Akron for 177 yards and four scores against Akron and caught seven passes for 139 yards against Ball State – he’s a volume-catcher when needed, too.
2. QB Brett Gabbert, Soph.
3. RB Jaylon Bester, Sr.
4. OT Caleb Shaffer, Soph.
5. RB Tyre Shelton, Soph.
Related
Miami University Football Schedule 2021
Best Miami RedHawks Defensive Player
DE Kameron Butler, Jr.
An All-MAC pass rusher over the last two seasons, he’s a 6-3, 252-pound hybrid pass rusher who works as an end in the 4-3 alignment. He followed up his 45-tackles, 5.5-sack, 13.5-tackle for loss sophomore season with 16 tackles with 2.5 sacks in the three games of 2020.
He’s not going to have to do it all with a good group around him – he’ll push for at least seven sacks.
2. LB Ryan McWood, Sr.
3. LB Ivan Pace, Soph.
4. S Sterling Weatherford, Jr.
5. S Mike Brown, Sr.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Miami University Football Schedule
NEXT: Miami RedHawks College Football Preview 2021: Keys To The Season
Miami RedHawks College Football Preview 2021: Keys To The Season
Miami RedHawks Biggest Key: Offense
It’s Miami, so as always it would be nice to get more out of the running game. There’s not much to go off of in a three-game season, but even last year – and with a veteran and talented line up front – the RedHawks failed to get to 140 yards and averaged 3.8 yards per carry.
Once again, there’s talent, size, and experience up front. Once again there’s a deep group of running backs – made even deeper with the return of a few good options who missed last year – and now the production has to finally be there.
It is possible to have a running game at Miami – the 2018 team was able to come up with a four 200-yard days and won all of them – but the program has gone seven straight games without hitting five yards per carry and did it just twice in the last 17 games.
Miami RedHawks Biggest Key: Defense
The pass defense has to be stronger. It continues to bear repeating, but it’s hard to get too much out of a three-game season, but the RedHawks were ripped up by Ball State and Buffalo for 662 passing yards and five scores.
Both teams were able to push the ball down the field without a problem, and both teams were able to avoid major mistakes against a secondary that allowed an average of 9.3 yards per pass.
Two interceptions in three games isn’t bad, and three starters are back in the secondary, but things have to be tight out of the gate with road trips to Cincinnati and Minnesota.
Miami RedHawks Key Player To A Successful Season
C/G Andrew Todd, Soph.
Or one of a number of other options to try taking over for new Oklahoma State center Danny Godlevske. The 6-4, 298-pound Todd hasn’t seen a whole lot of time with just four appearances in the last two years, but he was the understudy last season as Godlevske’s backup. If it’s not him, there’s going to be some juggling up front.
Miami RedHawks Key Game To The 2021 Season
Buffalo, November 9
The Bulls have been a thorn in the RedHawks’ side for a while.
They ripped through MU for a 42-10 win last year, have won two of the last three, and six of the last nine. Miami’s trip to Ohio the week before is a huge deal in the East race, and finishing up at Kent State might determine the division title one way or another, but lose to UB again and forget about getting to the MAC Championship.
– Miami University Football Schedule
2020 Miami RedHawks Fun Stats
– 1st Quarter Scoring (3 games) – Miami 3 – Opponents 3
– Sacks: Miami 13 – Opponents 4
– Time of Possession: Opponents 31:16 – Miami 28:44
NEXT: Miami RedHawks College Football Preview 2021: What Will Happen, Season Prediction
Miami RedHawks College Football Preview 2021: What Will Happen, Season Prediction
Miami University sort of had a 2020 college football season.
It played three games, beat the eventual MAC champion (Ball State), got rolled by the team that probably was the best team in the MAC (Buffalo), and won the free space game (Akron).
It was a full season for three games, and to spin it into a positive, it was the second winning season in a row and the second in the seven-year run under head coach Chuck Martin.
The defense had its issues against the two good teams, was fine against the bad one, and now with 18 starters and both kickers expected to be back, the reasonable goal is to win a second MAC Championship in three seasons.
Set The Miami RedHawks Regular Season Win Total At … 6.5
Miami has the parts for the passing game, the defense has a good enough front seven to be stronger, and the secondary has the all-star power to to be a whole lot better than it was against UB and Ball State.
Getting through September isn’t going to be easy with road games at Cincinnati, Minnesota and Army, but the MAC season isn’t all that bad.
Missing Toledo and Western Michigan is a huge break, and getting Buffalo at home is nice, but the Akron and Bowling Green games – among the easiest on the slate and would’ve been winnable on the road – are at home.
Considering the MAC is always a tad flaky, the goal is to keep hanging around long enough to win the one big game that changes everything.
This year’s Miami University team can do that, and at the very least, it can be in the mix for the MAC East and get to a bowl game.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Miami University Football Schedule
