2012-13 Football Previews – (MAC) – Miami
The Miami (Ohio) Redhawks football program has had a rough few years. After tons of success in the early 2000’s, Miami is 17-33 in their last 50 games. Ten of those 17 wins came in 2010 when the team had an amazing Cinderella season. There has been tons of transition in the program with four different coaches in four years.
MAC 2012-2013 College Football Previews: Miami (Ohio)
Head Coach: Don Treadwell
2011 Record: 4-8
Miami (Ohio) Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS Championship: (Part of Field) +1,800
Miami (Ohio) Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win MAC: +800
Miami (Ohio) Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win MAC East: +360
Miami Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2012 Schedule –>
Can the team get back to its winning ways in 2012?
Miami had no balance on offense in 2012. The Redhawks finished with 886 rushing yards last year. They had more than 400 yards less than any other team in the MAC. There isn’t any way a team can compete for a MAC title with no running game. The defense was solid in 2011, and they should be again in 2012.
Team Strengths:
Fifth-year senior Zac Dysert has a good chance to break Ben Roethlisberger’s record for most passing yards in Miami history. Dysert has a 64.1% career completion percentage, and he finished second in the MAC in passing yards last year with 3,513. The team plans to put more on his plate this season, and I expect big things from him in 2012.
Miami’s secondary is the single biggest strength of the defense. They were the second toughest team in the MAC to pass on in 2011. Dayonne Nunley was a first-team All-MAC cornerback last year, and he should be even better this season. The Redhawks have a very good strong safety in senior Pat Hinkel. This entire group is solid, and they have a ton of experience. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Team Weaknesses:
It’s hard to overstate how bad this rushing game was last year. They averaged 2.4 yards per carry, and the team’s leading rusher had only 328 yards on the ground. Miami is really lacking play makers in the backfield, and it doesn’t help that the offensive line has struggled in run blocking as well. The team has to be somewhat effective running if they hope to move up in the standings.
Miami lost its big play guys at the linebacker position. Jerrell Wedge and Ryan Kennedy were both leaders for the defense, and the team will miss their presence. The team’s best pass rusher at linebacker, C.J. Marck, is also gone. The Redhawks must rely on inexperienced players to get the job done this season. The coaching staff has had trouble coming up with a starting group for this unit, and that is never a good sign.
2012-2013 Miami (Ohio) Football Prediction: 5-7
The schedule starts out very tough with road games at Ohio State and Boise State in September. Miami may make a little bit of progress this year, but I don’t expect a ton out of a team that can’t run the football. It’s nice to be able to air it out, but you absolutely must have the ability to run the ball and keep the defense honest. If the Redhawks develop a running game, they could be in a bowl game again. Otherwise, expect Miami to have a losing record once again this year.
2012 Miami (OH) Schedule
9/1/12 12:00 PM ET @OHIST
9/8/12 1:00 PM ET SOILL
9/15/12 4:00 PM ET @BOIST
9/22/12 12:00 PM ET MASS
9/29/12 2:00 PM ET @AKR
10/6/12 7:00 PM ET @CIN
10/13/12 3:30 PM ET @BGREN
10/27/12 3:30 PM ET OHIO
11/3/12 12:00 PM ET @BUFF
11/10/12 1:00 PM ET KENST
11/17/12 1:00 PM ET @CMICH
11/23/12 TBD BALST
