Two weeks removed from a collapse at home against a MAC opponent, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish find themselves in an eerily similar situation this Saturday. You can read about the RedHawks offense here, but now let’s look at this Miami defense:
Photo by The Irish Tribune
As mentioned in the offensive overview, Miami Head Coach Chuck Martin always boasts one of the more disciplined teams in the country on both sides of the ball. The RedHawks do not shoot themselves in the foot with erroneous penalties, and it is something that should be preached by more football programs, in college and in the pros.
Defensively, the RedHawks finished with one of the best red zone defenses around the country. Coach Martin’s defense finished tied-3rd in the nation among lowest red zone scoring percentage (69.23%). Despite some key secondary losses, it appears Miami will again be amongst the best red zone defenses. This season’s red zone scoring percentage sits at 66.67%, tied for 17th-lowest in the nation.
Expected key contributors in the secondary this season are cornerback Raion Strader and safety Eli Blakey. There were some concerns heading into the season about the depth of this group, however, they have put those concerns to rest in part due to the emergence of Silas Waters. Raion Strader is a sophomore who really showed off his talents last season, despite being in a deep defensive back group. Last year, as a freshman, Strader finished the season with 57 tackles, 13 pass deflections (10th-most in the nation), and an interception. After a quiet week one, the talented corner totaled five tackles and two pass deflections last week against Cincinnati. Coming into this season safety Eli Blakey was expected to breakout as a senior and he has answered the call. Blakey has 16 tackles, 2nd-most among RedHawk defenders, and a pass deflection. While he may not be your typical ball-hawking defensive back, Blakey is a speedy, hard-hitter who receivers need to keep their head on a swivel for. Behind Strader and Blakey has been a steady group led by Silas Waters (12 tackles and a pass deflection this season), and Luke Evans to complete the secondary.
Last season Miami had an overall solid pass rush, however, First Team All-MAC defensive lineman Caiden Woullard transferred to Oklahoma this offseason, leaving a hole in the middle of this defense. The struggles have been visible to begin the season as the RedHawks have only posted two total sacks through their two games. The heart of the defensive line will have to be 2023 Second Team All-MAC selection Brian Ugwu. The former Rutgers transfer finished last season with 62 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and two forced fumbles. Ugwu has been solid to begin this season with seven tackles and a fumble recovery. Other than Ugwu, Miami has gotten some solid production from Nasir Washington (eight tackles) on the line.
Miami’s most talented position group is their linebacker room. The RedHawks return All-MAC selections Matt Salopek and Ty Wise from last season. To begin this year, the linebacker room may be even deeper than previously thought due to the emergence of both Oscar McWood (9 tackles) and Corban Hondru (6 tackles and ½ sack). Ultimately, there are zero questions that 2023 MAC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Salopek is the leader of this defense. The 6th-year senior led the MAC in tackles last season with 143, 3rd-most in the country. He also added nine tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass deflections, and an interception. Through two games this season Salopek is on pace, again, to be the team’s leading tackler (19) to go along with his fumble recovery and pass deflection. If Salopek had decided to move on from Miami this offseason, there is a real chance fellow linebacker Ty Wise would be in line for MAC Defensive Player of the Year. The 2023 Second Team All-MAC selection finished last season with 122 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, eight sacks, five pass deflections, an interception, and forced fumble. Wise, a former Indiana transfer, has had a solid start to his senior campaign totaling 13 tackles and a sack to begin this year.
The Notre Dame offense will be tested this Saturday against a winless RedHawks defense. If the run game gets going early, similar to last week, then the Fighting Irish should find themselves in position to win. A more potent air attack would also be beneficial against a secondary that lacks true depth but we have yet to see any real threat from Notre Dame’s passing offense.
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