“Loved the way our kids competed,” Martin said. “They played super hard.”
Martin said that “a bunch of mistakes in the first half were very costly,” which allowed Cincinnati to set the tone for most of the game. Miami fell to 0-2 on the season.
Here are five takeaways from Saturday’s contest that took place in front of a sold-out crowd of 24,717 at Yager Stadium:
1. Miami’s running game lacked production
The RedHawks didn’t get much going with the ground game. They rushed for 24 yards on 21 attempts.
“I felt like we could move it,” Martin said. “They played a 4-man box. We tried to run the ball probably too much. The fourth quarter we started slinging it around. Got to do a better job of getting more out of the ground game.
“We’ve got to run it better, no doubt,” Martin added. “We ran a little bit early OK, and then it shut down in a hurry. They were daring us to run.”
2. Miami’s defense performs, again
The RedHawks’ defense played well enough to keep them in contention.
Despite giving up a 40-yard run to Corey Kiner and 65-yard TD run by Evan Pryor that gave the Bearcats a 24-10 lead at the start of the fourth, Martin was pleased with his defensive unit.
“Their offense is good,” Martin said of Cincinnati. “I think we played really good against Kiner. I think we tackled him better than Pitt did. I know we tackled him better than Pitt. I watched the Pitt game.”
Kiner, a Roger Bacon product, rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
“I thought our defense actually played better than they did a week ago (against Northwestern),” Martin said. “I know the score does not indicate. I totally get it. Totally different opponent — night and day opponent. And I thought we played good last week. But I thought our kids battled.”
3. Expectations remain high for Miami’s veterans
Martin said the veterans on Miami’s roster continue to hold high expectations.
“They’re practicing the right way. They’re leading the right way,” Martin said. “At game day, we’re overacting to the negative stuff. We’ve been talking about it since this summer. It’s such human nature when you’ve been here, and you’re good. You know you’ve got a good team.
“We respect these opponents,” Martin added. “It’s not like we’re expecting to crush Northwestern or crush Cincinnati. We expect to win. And we put ourselves in position. We’re not playing through, yet, the ebb and flow of a game we need like a great team does. ... A lot of guys came back to have a great season. You forget how you won some stuff last year. We grind out a lot of wins.”
4. Salopek looking to lead
RedHawks linebacker Matt Salopek said following Saturday’s loss that he’s looking to rally the team before heading into Notre Dame this weekend.
“We just have to come in here, and I’ve got to remind guys that it’s a brand new week,” Salopek said. “We still have goals that we’re trying to accomplish this season. That’s to go win a MAC championship, and that’s still in play.
“We’ve got to go play Notre Dame next week. They’re a very good opponent. But you’ve seen it, anybody can lose on any given day in football. That’s just how it is. We’ve just got to come in and fix our mistakes on both sides of the ball. On Monday, it’s a fresh start.”
5. Is Gabbert back in prime form?
Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns on 23 of 35 passing.
His favorite target was Cade McDonald, who had a career-high 135 yards on eight catches.
Gabbert, who suffered a leg injury midway through the 2023 season, produced the sixth 300-yard passing game of his career and his highest yardage total through the air since Nov. 27, 2021.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Miami at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m., NBC, 980, 1450
About the Author