Miami (OH) storms back down 14, knocks off UConn, 24-21

Oxford, OH was the setting for an unfamiliar matchup between familiar head coaches.

Miami (OH) and UConn had never settled things on a football field before, but their respective head coaches Chuck Martin and Jason Candle share plenty of history. The two met four times in the prior three seasons, with Martin's Miami besting Candle's Toledo in the 2023 MAC Championship Game.

In a battle between the last two coaches to win multiple MAC championships, Martin's RedHawks prevailed. Miami overcame a 14-0 first quarter deficit to Candle and the Huskies but stormed back for a 24-21 victory.

David McComb, the nation's leading passer among all freshmen, continued his ascension into stardom. In his fourth collegiate game, McComb was often the best player when Miami possessed the ball. The Kansas transfer completed 19-of-29 passes for 312 yards and delivered two touchdowns without an interception in the victory. McComb also led the RedHawks with 33 rushing yards, cashing in a 10-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter and providing a spark to a struggling run game.

Unfortunately for the quarterback, he exited the game in the early fourth quarter with an injury. Martin did not provide a status update postgame but said, "Obviously, he wasn't okay to go back in. If he was okay, I promise you he would have been out there."

In a shorthanded quarterback room which already lost starter Thomas Gotkowski for the season, Miami inserted Caleb Heavner into a 21-21 tilt. The Division II transfer guided a methodical 11-play, 28-yard drive, setting up a 33-yard field goal attempt for true freshman Brady Stidham. The first kick of his college career — field goal or extra point — was true, handing Miami a 24-21 lead with 2:55 remaining. The RedHawks ultimately preserved the win on defense, when UConn quarterback Kalieb Osborne overshot his target on fourth down from the Miami 38-yard line in the final seconds.

Heavner and Stidham were among many unlikely heros in Miami's best win of the young season. Another was 6'1", 260-pound sophomore defensive tackle Brach Rice, who successfully converted 4th-and-1 as a ball carrier on the go-ahead field goal drive. There was also redshirt freshman tight end Brendan Loftus. Martin estimated Loftus only played 15 snaps all year, but he stepped up for the injured Christian Ross on Saturday. Loftus secured three receptions for 72 yards, making a spectacular one-handed grab on the run for a 57-yard tying touchdown right before halftime.

Other notable playmakers for the RedHawks included true freshman Scoop Smith, who scored for the second-straight game, providing the go-ahead touchdown reception in the late third quarter. Kent State transfer outside linebacker CJ Young also left his fingerprints on the win, intercepting Osborne in the fourth quarter. Young's pick provided Heavner and the RedHawks the short field needed to set up the game-winning field goal.

Candle snapped his two-game winning streak over Martin, as his new program, UConn (2-2, Independent), falls to .500 on the season. The Huskies return to East Hartford next Saturday for an early showcase against Syracuse in a meeting between old Big East rivals.

Martin defeated the longtime MAC coach in Oxford to lift Miami (2-2, 0-0 MAC) to a .500 finish in non-conference play — his best non-conference showing since 2023. It was only the RedHawks' fifth regular season non-conference win over FBS competition since 2012, and it required a 14-point comeback, which was a cathartic turn of events after squandering a 21-point lead to Cincinnati the prior week.

Miami now turns to MAC play as the hunt for its fourth-straight conference championship appearance begins. The RedHawks look to extend their three-game home winning streak next Saturday against an 0-4 Bowling Green squad.