Miami falls to Toledo in MAC Opener
By Jack Mueller
The Miami RedHawks were defeated by the Toledo Rockets 30-20 in their first MAC game of 2024. Chuck Martin’s team fell into a 14-point deficit in the first quarter which they could not overcome.
“We usually pride ourselves on playing good football… and right now we’re not playing good football,” said Martin.
Despite the loss, Brett Gabbert returned to form after struggling against Notre Dame and UMass. The sixth-year signal caller registered 296 passing yards, and connected on two touchdown passes. Gabbert found Kevin Davis in the flat to cut the deficit to 23-13 in the third quarter, then connected with Javon Tracy on a slant to bring Miami to the 20-point mark.
Tracy was Gabbert’s favorite target on Saturday, catching ten passes on twelve targets for 119 yards and a score. Before this game, the sophomore receiver had just eleven receptions on the season.
Corban Hondru was the player of the game on defense. The junior linebacker registered two interceptions and had eleven tackles. However, it was Miami’s worst game as a unit, letting up a season-high 30 points.
Once again, Miami struggled to establish the run against a good defense. Keyon Mozee led the team with 40 yards on the ground, but the team failed to breach the 100 yard mark for the third time this season.
“If you can’t run the ball and are one dimensional, you’re going to lose a lot of football games,” said Martin.
Toledo scored back-to-back touchdowns in the first period, as quarterback Tucker Gleason scrambled in for the first score, then found Jerjuan Newton in the end zone for the second. Gleason finished the game with 318 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The RedHawks cut into the deficit after an 11 play, 68 yard drive resulted in a Dom Dzioban field goal from 26 yards out. He connected on another from 35 yards with two minutes left in the first half to make the score 17-6. The reigning Lou Groza kicker of the week is now 9 for 11 on field goal attempts this season.
Toledo kept the pressure on though, opening up a 23-6 lead in the third quarter after field goals by Dylan Cunanan. The Rocket’s kicker was 3/3 on the day, connecting from 48, 47 and 21.
Miami started to build up some momentum on offense in the second half, as the RedHawks were able to drive down the field on back-to-back drives and get into the endzone. Both touchdowns came on passes from Gabbert, his fourth and fifth of the season. He found Javon Tracy to cut the lead to 10 with five minutes left in the game.
Toledo’s defense would do enough to see out the win. After the Rocket’s next drive stalled, taking just 30 seconds off the clock, Brayden Awls picked off Gabbert near his own end zone to all but seal the win. Gabbert’s seven interceptions on the season are the fifth most in the country.
The RedHawks will have to bounce back next week against Eastern Michigan on the road with their season in jeopardy. At 0-1 in the conference and 1-4 overall, Miami faces an uphill climb to get back to the MAC championship game in Detroit.