OXFORD, Ohio— The Miami University football team dropped a 41-38 heartbreaker to visiting UNLV Saturday afternoon in the RedHawks' home opener. Corban Hondru had two interceptions to lead the Miami defense, while Keith Reynolds caught a touchdown and returned a kick for another score. Kenny Tracy added two touchdowns for Miami (0-3, 0-0 MAC).
 
"This one hurts bad. We did a lot of good things," head coach Chuck Martin said afterward. "They're a good football team; we jumped on them and got them back on their heels…we had them on the ropes…
 
"We had a chance to beat a really good football team. We did enough good things to do it, and then we did enough bad things that negated our good things. That's where we're at; we've got to keep plugging away. A lot of positives today, which makes it way more frustrating."
 
Miami led by scores of 24-10 and 38-24 in the second half, but the visitors scored the final 17 points of the game to escape Oxford with a three-point victory over the Red and White and remain undefeated on the season (4-0, 0-0 Mountain West).
 
"We came out hot in the first half," Hondru said. "We wanted to come out with a chip on our shoulder and just attack from the get go– play north and south.
 
"In the second half, I don't know if we came out a little bit content or what it was…we played on our heels a little bit."
 
The Rebels converted 12-of-17 third downs in the game, while Miami finished 1-of-8 in that statistic. 
 
"A lot of opportunities to get off the field…", Martin pointed out postgame. "We're not close to our ability yet. We're better than we were three weeks ago…but we've got to be way better on third down."
 
Miami has one more non-conference game remaining, with Lindenwood set to visit next Saturday before MAC play begins.
 
"I said, 'This could have been our springboard to really get us going,'" Martin added, mentioning that if his team takes the right approach this week, the effort and the result still could have a similar effect.


HOW IT HAPPENED

• Miami took a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter after a Hondru interception set the home team up at the UNLV 29-yard line. On the ensuing snap, Dequan Finn found Tracy wide-open out of the backfield for a scoring pass to make it 7-0.
• The RedHawks doubled their advantage on the scoreboard on their next drive, marching 91 yards in seven plays for a three-yard touchdown pass from Finn to Reynolds.
• UNLV got on the board in the second period with a 27-yard field goal and made it 14-10 less than four minutes later on a 66-yard interception return for a score.
• Miami responded on its next possession, as Henry Hesson came on for an injured Finn and moved the RedHawks 75 yards down the field in six plays. A 41-yard strike to Kam Perry was the biggest play, and Tracy went the final 22 yards on a shovel pass to put Miami on top 21-10 with 8:10 remaining in the half.
• The Red and White stopped UNLV on downs at the Miami 27-yard line late in the period. Miami then quickly advanced 50 yards on 10 plays, helped out by a fourth-down offside call against the visitors. Dom Dzioban tacked on a 40-yard field goal as the RedHawks took a 14-point lead into halftime.
• The Rebels scored on their first two drives of the second half, using a three-yard run by Jai'den Thomas and a four-yard slant pass to Jaden Bradley to even the score at 24-24 midway through the third quarter.
• Miami answered back with a vengeance, as Reynolds went 100 yards untouched on the next kickoff to regain the lead for the home team. Three plays later, Hondru intercepted an Anthony Colandrea pass and ran it back 47 yards for a touchdown to make it 38-24, a lead the Red and White would hold into the fourth quarter. 
• A 17-play scoring drive pulled UNLV within seven points at the 13:13 mark after a nine-yard touchdown pass, and the Rebels tied the game once more with 6:50 to play on a one-yard plunge.
• Miami advanced into the red zone on its next drive, but a fumble gave the ball back to UNLV with 2:32 left in the game. The Rebels scored the final points on a 23-yard kick with 15 seconds to go.

TO THE HOUSE: Reynolds' 100-yard kickoff return was Miami's first kick return score since Maurice Thomas raced 99 yards on Sept. 29, 2018 vs. Western Michigan and only the second 100-yard kickoff return in program history (Don Treadwell vs. Cincinnati in 1980). "Why couldn't we have a good kickoff?", Martin asked his return unit right before the highlight-reel play. "I didn't think we were going to house it…let's go block these guys and get Keith a crease. I just wanted to get him a good return.
 
"Explosive…he had a huge seam. Keith was great: He's fast, so when he got the seam, he busted one…but we blocked…that was about as clean as [you'll see]."
 
Reynolds also produced his first career receiving touchdown in the first half en route to the first multi-touchdown game of his college career.
 

TRACY'S TOUCHDOWNS: Tracy also recorded his first career multi-touchdown game and found the end zone for the first time since Oct. 21, 2023. He went over 100 yards on the ground for the first time in his six years as a RedHawk, posting 104 yards on 16 carries (6.5 ypc).
 

PERRY PRODUCES: Perry set a new career high with 122 receiving yards, including 90 in the first half. He made five catches and averaged over 24 yards per reception.
 

THAT WAS FAST: Miami's first trip to the end zone was its first one-play scoring drive since Kevin Davis ripped off a 97-yard touchdown run in the 2024 SnoopDogg Arizona Bowl and the RedHawks' fastest scoring drive since a five-second possession that ended in a Cade McDonald touchdown catch at Bowling Green last November.

 
CORBAN'S COLLECTION: Hondru's third-quarter interception return for a touchdown was Miami's first since Jaquez Warren on Oct. 29, 2022 at Akron. Postgame, Hondru gave all the credit for his second pick of the day to Adam Trick, who initially tipped the pass at the line of scrimmage. "[He] got his hands up, jumped up, tipped it up to me, and that was honestly one of the easiest interceptions I've had in my career here," Hondru explained. Hondru's two-interception game was the second of his career (2024 vs. Toledo). 
 

SUDDEN CHANGE: After UNLV tied the game in the third quarter, Miami scored two non-offensive touchdowns just 74 seconds apart (Reynolds and Hondru) to restore its 14-point lead.
 

OH, HENRY!: Pressed into duty after Finn went down in the second quarter, Hesson came on to put up a career-high 134 yards and a touchdown pass. "Overall, very, very pleased," Martin said in assessing his redshirt senior's play, specifically pointing out how close Miami was to finishing off a potential game-winning drive in the final two minutes. "The best thing is, he was so ready to get in there and get going…he couldn't wait, when he did get out there, to start competing."
 

RICE COOKING: Brach Rice recorded his first career sacks for the Miami defense, securing two in the contest. Four different RedHawks finished with multiple tackles for loss (Rice, Jackson Kuwatch, Nasir Washington and Mychal Yharbrough).


NOTES: Eli Blakey made 16 tackles, the highest total by any Miami player since Ty Wise had 17 in the 2024 MAC Championship Game…Grant Lyons came up with the first full sack of his Miami career…The Red and White outgained UNLV 304-161 in the first half...Five different RedHawks recorded a pass breakup.


UP NEXT:
The RedHawks return to Yager Stadium next weekend to host Lindenwood for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27. Tickets are available here.