Miami (OH) (4-3, 2-1 MAC) at Central Michigan (3-4, 1-2 MAC). Saturday, Oct. 24, 1 p.m. ET, Mount Pleasant, Mich., ESPN+.
Your hosts are Cordelia Van Doren, a cardigan-wearing Oxford brick-campus devotee who ambushes everyone with Cradle of Coaches trivia, and Brynn Haverkamp, a snowmobile-racing marketing grad from up north who tracks sacks like hunting-season tags.
Cordelia: Trivia ambush, darling. Name a coach from Miami's Cradle of Coaches. You have until kickoff.
Brynn: Ope! Bo Schembechler? Am I right? Don't tell me. I'll be in the tailgate lot.
Cordelia: Blue ribbon, darling. Pinned to your snowsuit.
Players to watch
Miami (OH) quarterback David McComb has 1,120 passing yards and seven touchdowns. Running back Rodney Nelson has 348 yards. Linebacker Malcolm McCain leads the defense with 57 tackles. Miami holds opponents to 3.6 yards per carry.
Central Michigan quarterback Angel Flores has 618 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns, plus 475 passing yards. Running back Jayden Clerveaux has 239 yards. Linebacker Xavier White has 52 tackles. The Chippewas run on about 66% of their plays.
Brynn: Flores is the whole snowmobile some weeks. Engine, skis, the works.
What happened last week
Miami (OH) beat Akron 34-14, its second straight win. Nelson ran 13 times for 142 yards and two touchdowns, and McCain had 10 tackles.
Central Michigan lost 21-14 to Western Michigan in the Battle for the Victory Cannon. Flores ran 31 times for 117 yards and threw for 162 and a touchdown. White made 11 tackles.
Cordelia: Two blue ribbons for Mr. Nelson. One for the yards, one for style.
Injuries and availability
No official conference availability report has been published for this game. No injury news has surfaced for either team, so check back closer to kickoff.
What the coaches are up to
Chuck Martin was hired at Miami on Dec. 3, 2013, so he's one of the longest-serving coaches in the conference. Four of his team's seven games this season were tight, including a 20-19 win at Massachusetts.
Matt Drinkall was named Central Michigan's 30th head coach on Dec. 9, 2024. He spent six seasons on Army's staff, coaching the offensive front and serving as co-offensive coordinator. His 2024 Army group won the Joe Moore Award, given to the nation's best blocking group. The run-first plan in Mount Pleasant makes sense.
Player storylines
Flores against Miami's run defense is the main event. The Chippewas need yards on the ground, and the RedHawks allow only 3.6 per carry. Brynn's sack tags are in play too: Miami has allowed 16 sacks, and Central Michigan has 12. On the other side, Central Michigan allows 4.82 yards per carry, which is an opening for Nelson.
Brynn: Ope, opportunity. Sixteen sacks allowed? I've got tags.
What's happening on campus
It's Senior Day in Mount Pleasant, with the Chippewas honoring their graduating class. Fans can grab "Beat" buttons for the opponent at Fan Central near the northwest entrances. The Kids' Zone opens three hours before kickoff with bounce houses, yard games and face painting. The field is Kramer/Deromedi Field.
Anything else fun and true
Miami leads the series 17-13-1 and has won five straight, most recently 46-7 in 2024. Central Michigan's last win in the series came in 2014. The Chippewas' stadium has been home since 1972, and it's the MAC's largest on-campus stadium. Miami's Cradle of Coaches includes Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Ara Parseghian and Bo Schembechler.
Cordelia: Five straight, darling. I keep a chart.
Brynn: Charts melt in the snow, Cordelia. Ope.
The Cover Window
My call: Miami (OH) RedHawks 24, Central Michigan Chippewas 23.