Miami University RedHawks Preview 2022: Season Prediction, Breakdown, Key Games, Players
Miami University RedHawks Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Miami University season with what you need to know and keys to the season.
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Miami University RedHawks Preview
Head Coach: Chuck Martin, 9th year at Miami, 39-52
16th year overall, 113-59, 2021 Preview
2021 Record: Overall: 7-6, Conference: 5-3
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Miami University Top 10 Players | Miami Schedule
Miami University RedHawks Preview 2022
Miami University needs to start getting at least a little bit of respect as a MAC power under Chuck Martin.
It took a long while to get to this point, but the program is here after winning the MAC Championship in 2019 as a part of a nice run of three straight winning seasons.
There’s nothing flashy about what the RedHawks do – no one seemed to notice the high-powered passing season – and they haven’t come up with the big, splashy non-conference wins like some of the other key teams in the conferences pull off – getting whacked by Cincinnati all the time hurts and getting dropped by Ohio State 76-5 in 2019 didn’t help – but they take care of what they need to.
Four of last year’s six losses came by a total of nine points on the way to a bowl win over North Texas, and this year’s version has the potential to be even stronger.
The offense should be among the most efficient in the MAC, the defense loaded up with a slew of new guys, and it should be a fourth straight winning season.
And maybe a second MAC title in four seasons will make a splash.
Miami University RedHawks Preview 2022: Offense
Where did this come from? It was Air RedHawk with one of the nation’s best passing games for an offense that averaged 423 yards and 30 points per game. The O line was great at keeping defenses out of the backfield, but the running game wasn’t just okay.
Brett Gabbert bombed away for 26 touchdowns for a passing game that rolled up over 3,600 yards and 32 touchdowns with just eight picks. Backup AJ Meyer stepped in and threw for almost 1,000 yards with six picks, but he’s in the transfer portal.
Star receiver Jack Sorenson is done, but 48-catch veteran Mac Hippenhammer is back along with downfield threat tight end Jack Coldiron.
The veteran offensive line was great in pass protection, but now it has to blast away a bit more. Four starters are back to a group that allowed just 21 sacks and was tenth in the nation in fewest tackles for loss given up.
The four freshman backs from last year – and sophomore Tyre Shelton – are back. Keyon Mozee, Kevin Davis, Kenny Tracy, and Shelton combined for well over 1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns. The O only averaged over five yards per carry twice.
Miami University RedHawks Preview 2022: Defense
There’s a little work to do on a defense that loses a whole slew of key parts. Leading tackler Ivan Pace if off to Cincinnati and star pass rusher Kameron Butler is taking off for Virginia. The defense finished second in the conference in scoring D and is getting a ton of help, but …
Butler is off, leading sacker Lonnie Phelps is gone to Kansas, and Dominique Robinson and Ben Kimpler are done, too. Even so, the defensive tackles should be strong enough to form a good rotation – Austin Ertl and Anthony Collier are solid veterans – and on the way is Corey Suttle from Iowa State for one of the end jobs.
Trying to step in for Pace in the middle of the linebacking corps is Ty Wise from Indiana, and second-leading tackler Matthew Salopek will play a sort of hybrid defensive back and linebacker.
The secondary gave up a few too many yards in high-scoring battles, and now stepping in to help is Nolan Johnson from East Carolina at one corner to work on the other side of leading pickoff guy John Saunders. Michael Dowell is coming in from Michigan State at safety.
Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Miami University Top 10 Players | Miami Schedule
Miami University RedHawks: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT
Miami University RedHawks: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Miami University RedHawks: Key To The 2022 Offense
Be more consistently accurate with the passing game.
A little more production on third downs would be nice, but the real key would be some consistency to a passing attack that started to kick in last year.
There were plenty of big plays, lots of touchdown passes, and everything opened up in a special year for the offense, but being above 58% passing is a must. Miami was 6-0 when it hit 60% of its passes and 1-6 when it didn’t.
Miami University RedHawks: Key To The 2022 Defense
Somehow keep the pass rush going.
One of the biggest keys to the season was the ability get in the backfield early and often. The tackles for loss came in bunches, and the pass rush cranked up 38 sacks, but …
As mentioned earlier, just about all of the productive parts are gone.
The system is good, but last year’s group of pass rushers were talented and special. It’s going to take a lot to replace new Kansas Jayhawk Lonnie Phelps and Virginia Cavalier Kameron Butler, but even with the pass rush it was a struggle at times to keep down the better offenses. That’s why …
Miami University RedHawks: Key Player To The 2022 Season
DE Corey Suttle, Soph.
The 6-4, 247-pound former Iowa State Cyclone only made five tackles and didn’t come up with a sack in his two years, but now he’s being tapped to come in and be at least a key part of the rotation.
Again, it took a whole lot of RedHawks from several spots to generate the production of last year, but they need one guy to step up and be the one offenses worry about. Suttle is a big transfer, and so is …
Miami University RedHawks: Key Transfer
LB Ty Wise, Soph.
It will be an interesting shift. Ivan Pace was a 6-0, 242-pound thumper at linebacker who made 170 tackles, 11 sacks, and 21 tackles for loss in three seasons and now he’s off to Cincinnati.
Pace was big and tough, and Wise is more like a bulked up defensive back getting up to 230 pounds on his 6-2 frame. He only made three tackles last year at Indiana, and Miami needs him to be among the team’s leading tackler.
Miami University Key Game To The 2022 Season
Kent State, Oct. 8
If you like lots and lots of points and offense, this is for you. Last year’s Miami win was a 48-47 thriller to make it four wins in the last five. It’s a stretch to say this will be for the MAC East title so early on the conference season, but it’ll go a long way to determining who’s going to Detroit.
Miami University RedHawks: 2021 Fun Stats
– Fumbles: Opponents 14 (lost 8) – Miami 8 (lost 4)
– Miami 2022 Passing TDs; 2022 32, 2020 8, 2021 11
– 3rd Quarter Scoring: Miami 95 – Opponents 41
Offense, Defense Breakdown
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Miami University Top 10 Players | Miami Schedule
Miami University RedHawks Season Prediction, What Will Happen NEXT
Miami University RedHawks Season Prediction, What Will Happen
So here’s the problem.
Miami University cranks dup the offense to a whole other level, the defense was among the best in the MAC, and there were times when everything worked perfectly …
And the team still only went 6-6 in the regular season.
And now it’s worse on defense and has to hope for the offense to be every bit as good, if not better. It also has to be far more consistent.
Set The Miami University RedHawks Regular Season Win Total At … 6
Four of the first five games are away from Oxford, and overall there are only five home dates. However, two of those road games are against Akron and Bowling Green.
On the negative side, going to Northern Illinois is a problem, and dealing with Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Northwestern away from home will all be likely losses.
There are at least four built-in wins, about four budgeted-for losses, and then it comes down to those other four.
Miami University will likely split those and go bowling yet again.
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Miami University Top 10 Players | Miami Schedule
