Meet Your Insider
Good afternoon, RedHawks, and welcome to The Cover Window. I'm Cordelia Van Doren, your Miami (OH) insider. I'm a brick-campus girl through and through, and I know every coach who has ever walked through Oxford. I travel with this team and I live with this team, usually in a cardigan. I do have one small habit. I ambush my co-hosts with coaching-tree trivia when they least expect it. When we win, I add a gold sticker to my Cradle of Coaches chart. When we lose, I remind everyone that even legends lost once, and then I tell you exactly which legends and when. Every week you'll get the players, the coaches and the matchup, with a little history pinned to the lapel. "Another coach from the Cradle, darling."
The School in 60 Seconds
Miami is the Cradle of Coaches, and that's not my phrase. The term was coined in 1959 by Bob Kurz. The honor roll includes Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Ara Parseghian and Bo Schembechler. Pop quiz: name another campus that produced all four. I'll wait. In the modern era the RedHawks keep adding chapters. Under Chuck Martin, Miami won the 2019 MAC championship, beating Central Michigan 26-21 in the title game, and the 2023 title, beating No. 23 Toledo 23-14. Home is Yager Stadium in Oxford, listed at 24,286.
The Coach and the Scheme
Chuck Martin was hired on Dec. 3, 2013, which makes him one of the longest-serving coaches in the conference. Here's how the 2026 team plays, by the numbers. Miami runs a little more than it throws, at 4.44 yards a carry, with 10 rushing touchdowns. It throws for 216.3 yards a game, with 9 passing touchdowns. The offense averages 26.9 points, and the defense allows 25.6. The defense holds opponents to 3.6 yards a carry, but the pass defense allows 276.9 yards a game. Miami has forced 8 turnovers and lost only 5. The pass rush has 14 sacks, though the protection has given up 16. My mild worry, said with love.
Players to Know
QB David McComb (No. 16): 1,120 passing yards and 7 TD. Against UConn he went 19 of 29 for 312 yards and two touchdowns, then ran one in himself.
RB Rodney Nelson (No. 5): 348 yards and 2 TD. Last week against Akron he ran 13 times for 142 yards and two scores. A gold sticker, darling, and a second one for style.
LB Malcolm McCain (No. 3): 57 tackles, including 10 against Akron.
The Conference Picture
Miami is 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the MAC, 3-1 at home and 1-2 on the road. The early schedule was demanding: a 59-14 loss at Pittsburgh, a 35-31 loss at Cincinnati, and a 24-21 win over UConn. The conference loss was 24-20 to Bowling Green. Since then we've won at Massachusetts 20-19 and beaten Akron 34-14. Two straight wins, and a chance to make it three. The margins have been tight: four of our seven games were decided by four points or fewer: Cincinnati, UConn, Bowling Green and Massachusetts. Darling, that is game management, and Coach Martin has run this sideline since he was hired in December 2013. Close games are where experience earns its gold stickers.
This Week: Miami (OH) (4-3) at Central Michigan (3-4)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · 1 p.m. ET · Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Mount Pleasant · ESPN+. The forecast calls for 60 degrees and mostly sunny. Cardigan weather, naturally, with pearls optional.
Last week: Miami beat Akron 34-14. Central Michigan lost 21-14 to Western Michigan.
Our offense vs. their defense: Central Michigan allows 4.82 yards a carry, so Nelson and our run game have a real opportunity. The Chippewas allow 174.3 passing yards a game.
Their offense vs. our defense: Central Michigan runs on most of its plays. QB Angel Flores has 618 rushing yards and 4 TD on the ground, plus 475 passing yards. We hold teams to 3.6 yards a carry. Contain Flores, and the Chippewas' passing game, at 108.1 yards a game, has to carry the load.
Series: Miami leads 17-13-1 and has won five straight, most recently 46-7 in 2024. Central Michigan's last win came in 2014.
One more set of numbers for the notebook: this team has 14 sacks and has allowed 16, with 8 takeaways against 5 giveaways, and it has 10 rushing and 9 passing touchdowns.
Availability: I found no official availability report for either team as of Oct. 18, 2026.
What decides it: (1) Containing Flores on the ground. (2) Protecting McComb from a defense with 12 sacks. (3) Turnovers. Central Michigan has lost 11.
And to Brynn Haverkamp, Central Michigan's insider: trivia ambush, darling. Who coached both at Miami and Michigan? You have until kickoff.
Local Flavor (unsponsored, not an ad)
Visiting Oxford? Bagel & Deli on East High Street is an institution. Mac & Joe's is on the same street.
My call: Central Michigan Chippewas 24, Miami (OH) RedHawks 23.