Can Chuck Martin Win With the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks?
Offense
Everything about the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks offense was bad last year. The rushing game was ranked 114th with 101.6 yards per game, and the passing game ranked 119th with 124.3 yards per game. Scoring offense was tied for dead last in the country as the Redhawks averaged 9.8 points per game. The offense was so bad that backup quarterback Austin Gearing led the team in rushing, and receiver Dawan Scott came in second.
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Austin Boucher was the starting quarterback for the team the first eight games of the season but didn’t play the last four. Gearing stepped in as a freshman and was even worse in the passing game, but he managed to rush for 478 yards on the season. However, he’ll have to show something to start this year. Junior Drew Kummer will be able to compete for the job, but he hasn’t shown much promise either. The most logical choice to start will be Notre Dame transfer Andrew Hendrix, who has one year of eligibility left and is familiar with Martin’s offensive system. However, is Martin coaching for this year or the future? With the RedHawks expected to be awful this year no matter what, starting Hendrix does nothing for your future. But it could provide you with a couple of extra wins your first year.
At running back, the job is wide open. Gearing and Hendrix can both run, which will add flexibility to the running game, but who starts behind them? Spencer Treadwell had only 171 yards rushing, the most of any running back on the team last year, but he had only 56 carries and is back for his junior season. Grant Niemiec is back for his sophomore season and had only 114 yards as a freshman last year on 35 carries. One of them will probably be the starter, and Spencer McInnis may see some action to as a sophomore. Freshman Paul Moses could also be a factor. Whomever is the starter though, it’s hard for the running game to get worse. Martin will want to use the running backs much more than they were used last year. But if any of them can play decently, there are some options at quarterback for a decent backfield to pick up yards on the ground.
All three leading wide receivers are back, which could be good or bad news depending on how you look at it. I’m going to say good news here, because the receivers are useless with bad quarterback play, which existed throughout last year. None of theses guys can bail quarterbacks out of bad throws, but they have playmaking abilities and can flourish in a good offensive system. Dawan Scott is entering
Sep 28, 2013; Champaign, IL, USA; Miami (Oh) Redhawks running back Grant Niemiec (37) pushes his way into the end zone for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-USA TODAY Sports
his senior season and is probably the best player on the offense. After leading the team in receiving and coming in second in rushing last year, he is very versatile and might have been the only bright spot on the offense last year. Lining up opposite to him, David Frazier is also entering his senior year and had 302 yards receiving last year. The two of them could rack up a lot more yards this year if the offense is anything decent. Junior Alvonta Jenkins also had a role in the offense last year, so don’t sleep on him as the No. 3 guy. The loss of tight end Steve Marck would be a small setback, but the addition of Notre Dame transfer Alex Welch, who will also be a fifth-year senior, will make for a dramatic improvement at the position. Welch was once a 4-star on Rivals and is very familiar with Martin’s system.
An offensive line that was just flat-out awful last year returns its four of its five starters and its three most experienced players, but is that really a good thing? This unit was terrible last year, giving up 50 sacks and only allowing 2.7 yards per rushing attempt. How much better can it get this year? Tackles Zach Lewis and Jeff Tanner will both be seniors, Center Marcus Matthews is a senior, and guards Trevan Brown and Wesley Scott are juniors. They each have at least 11 career starts, making for plenty of experience playing together. Behind them, Brandyn Cook, Terry Davis, and Julian Green all have experience as well. Ryan Callen, Colin Buchanan, and Randy Heideman don’t have a start on their resume, but they have potential and could squeeze their way into the rotation, especially if the line is as bad as it was last year. However, after a year of experience of playing together, and under a better offensive system, the line should be able to improve from at least awful to just bad.
The offense as a whole will probably be a lot better than last year, meaning it’ll be below average. There’s potential with incoming transfers, more experience, and a new system for this unit to be semi-competent. It won’t blow anybody away, but Martin has some pieces to work with in his first season. They should at least be able to average double-figures in points per game, something that eluded them last year.