2026 MAC Football Week 11 Game Preview: Ohio Bobcats at Miami RedHawks

What began on October 17, 1908 with a modest 5-0 Miami victory has blossomed into one of college football's oldest rivalries. This week, Ohio (7-2, 5-0 MAC) heads to Miami (5-4, 3-2 MAC) for their 103rd meeting, with nine games apiece so far this season to hone their skills leading to this highly-anticipated battle.

Road warriors so far this year, Ohio looks to win its fourth MAC road game after beating back a determined Zip squad by one score in Akron last week. Ohio also looks to stack another win to continue to control its own destiny in the MAC championship race.

Meanwhile, the RedHawks would like nothing more than to take their rival down a peg while improving their own shot at a championship bid by getting back on track at home. For Miami, they have gotten it done on the road too going 2-0 in MAC play. The problem has been at home, with a few close losses bringing the home MAC record to an uncharacteristic 1-2 on the season.

Will Ohio's road win streak continue or will the RedHawks right the ship at home?

Game notes

• Date and Time: Tuesday November 10, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio
• TV: The game will air nationally on ESPN2, with Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Rocky Boiman (color) on the call. A valid subscription is required for viewing.
• Streaming options: The game will be available via the ESPN App. A valid subscription is required for viewing. Other applicable cable/satellite streaming services are also available with a valid subscription. Other streaming carriers include Sling, DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV.
• Radio/online: Ohio call features Marty Banister (play-by-play) and Rob Cornelius (color) for flagship station WXTQ-105.5 FM (Athens) and the Varsity Network. Miami's call features Steve Baker (play-by-play) and Terry Bridge (color) for the RedHawks Radio Network.
• All-Time Series: Miami leads, 56-44-2.

Miami outlook

For the RedHawks this year, it looks similar to what it usually does under head coach Chuck Martin; lose a tough non-conference game, scare the life out of the Cincinnati fanbase, then ramp up as MAC title contenders.

This year, Miami shows up with more work to do then in the last few seasons on that front, needing to likely win out to have a realistic shot at a mind-boggling fourth MAC title game appearance in a row. Last week, Miami had a very good Buffalo team on the ropes with a 15-point lead late in the fourth, but Buffalo rallied late, forcing overtime. A RedHawks kick off the upright was the final straw in a 34-31 OT loss.

Heading into this one, it will be interesting how Ohio's rushing attack fares against Miami's stout run defense, as the Bobcats are second on average rushing yards per game at 188 yards per game, while the RedHawks are the 12th-best nationally allowing only about 96 yards a game. Where teams have made more hay against the RedHawks is in the passing game, where teams average 279 yards allowed this season so far.

Individually, Miami features a number of defenders on par or better than other MAC teams, particularly in the defensive line and linebacker group. Lineman Roosevelt Andrews III leads the club with 5.5 sacks, while linebacker Malcom McCain leads with 70 tackles, including 11 last week coming off an injury. Defensive Back Amariyun Knighten leads the MAC with 13 passes defensed.

Offensively, during conference play, the RedHawks are among the league leaders, fourth overall with over 26 points a game on average. The bulk of the productivity is on the ground, where Miami is ranked third in the conference with 186 yards rushing per game.

The redzone is always something to watch obviously, but this week it is a matchup of good on good as the RedHawks boast the 18th best redzone offense nationally this year while Ohio's redzone defense is 15th nationally.

Offensive personnel begins with quarterback Caleb Heavner, the third team QB to start the season. Heavner took over after previous starter David McComb (who himself was relieving assumed starter Thomas Gotkowski) in Week 4. So far on the year, Heavner has completed 54 percent of his passes for 769 yards and four each of passing touchdowns and interceptions.

Heavner factors into the running game with some improvised runs for 212 yards and two rushing touchdowns so far. Joining the QB in the ground game are a couple of backs starting with Rodney Nelson, who leads the club with 436 yards and four touchdowns. D'Shawntae Jones is also a factor, with his first career 100-yard rushing game (112 total) last week vs. UB.

The wideout room has been a by-committee approach this year with at least five receivers catching 17 or more passes. One young player that has a real chance to be an X-factor is freshman Scoop Smith. Although hanging his hat in the wideout room, he can do a lot of things where a fast, athletic player can excel. In addition to 189 yards receiving and almost 10 rushing attempts on reverses and the like, Smith can get you something on special teams--for instance, recovering a blocked punt for score last week. We talked about that redzone offense, keep an eye out for Smith on the ground where he has two rushing scores this year.

Ohio outlook

The 'Cats have a long way to go before reaching their major goals like a conference championship, but they are unquestionably off to a strong start in conference play with a 5-0 record. How impressive that is in context: since head Coach Frank Solich arrived for the 2005 season, the Bobcats have been to six championship games– but never started any of those campaigns 5-0 in league play.

The 'Cats have been the team to define "survive and advance" since the calendar turned to league play; every week is a new challenge requiring renewed effort. Last week was a prime example though, where it looked like the Zips may have had the Bobcats' number, but Ohio pulled out the necessary plays to flip the game script and win.

The last few weeks offensively have been challenging, with teams finding a way to limit Ohio's rushing attack. However, two timely explosive plays last week (a 60-yard pass from quarterback Nick Poulos to wideout Dom Dorwart and a 91-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter by running back Duncan Brune) went a long way towards salting Akron away.

Speaking of Poulos, he was injured earlier this year but has come back with some strong play. During conference play, Poulos leads in passing efficiency while averaging over eight yards per attempt (an indication of explosiveness) and has no interceptions in 118 attempts.

Also, Poulos is a weekly factor in the rushing game, with the third-most rushing yards of any MAC QB during conference play with 173 yards and two touchdowns. Poulos' long strides at six-foot-six cover a lot of ground quickly.

Joining Poulos in the backfield is a group of running backs on par with any room in the MAC led by Duncan Brune, with 463 yards and four rushing touchdowns. Expect to see a heavy dose of Victor Rosa too, who 369 yards and a club-leading five rushing touchdowns.

Defensively, the 'Cats have gelled into one of the MACs top units so far this year despite numerous injuries where the depth has been tested. In fact, in five MAC games, Ohio has given up the fewest number of points per game (14.2) and the fewest yards per game at 301 yards per contest.

Akron got a huge spark last week with the return of quarterback Cibastian Broughton, but Ohio's defense buckled down when needed-holding the Zips to five field goal attempts.

Ohio's deep defensive line has been a major strength this year. For instance, multiple players stood out last week doing the dirty work in the trenches-with guys like Nehemiah Dukes, Nathan Hale, Derek Reagans, and Evan Herrmann making plays.

Behind the defensive line, the MAC features one of the best linebacker duos in Michael Molnar and Jack Fries. Despite playing with a club on one arm, Fries made 10 tackles last week and recovered a fumble.

The player who helps glue the whole thing together is safety DJ Walker, who made another key play last week with a pick six that was instrumental in an eight-point win.

Notably for both teams, watch this week how they defend kickoff return. Ohio's safety Darren James-Hamilton and kickoff return team have two touchdowns this year and are the 6th ranked unit nationally. Even when not running the ball, the unit can do damage when, attempting to avoid James-Hamilton, the Zips botched a "sky kick," giving Ohio possession at the 40-yard line. Miami ranks 23rd nationally in the attempts they've had.

Game outlook

Never know how a rivalry game is going to play out but if it has goes similarly to what we've seen so far this season from these clubs, expect it to come down to who can make plays in the fourth quarter to close it out.

For Miami, four out of five MAC games this year have been decided by four points or less including two one-point wins. Meanwhile, Ohio prevailed in three MAC games decided by one score.

Like several teams do, Ohio prides itself on stopping the run so one would expect the Bobcats to try to limit Miami's running game while keeping quarterback Caleb Heavner in the pocket, forcing him to make a ton of throws to beat the visitors.

Miami's defense is one of the best against the runs and teams have had some success in slowing down Ohio's rushing attack the last two weeks so the key for the 'Cats may be with Nick Poulos. Can the Bobcats' quarterback hit some explosive plays in the passing game while moving the chains at time on improvised runs?

All will be revealed in primetime, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time on "The Deuce."