Saturday, October 10
Amherst, Mass.
2 p.m.
Miami University
at
Massachusetts
RedHawks Hit the Road For Tilt at UMass
10/6/2026 7:34:00 AM | Football
For the first time since Sept. 5, the Miami University football team will leave the state of Ohio and face the UMass Minutemen in Amherst, Mass. on Saturday, Oct. 10. Opening kick is slated for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.Â
About Miami
• Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (742), conference wins (330), MAC Championships (17) and bowl wins (9).  Historically, Miami's 742 career wins are third all-time among Group-of-Five programs, behind just Navy (758) and Army (747).
• Miami was 4-14 in Coach Martin's first 18 Mid-American Conference games. Since then, the RedHawks are 55-23 in their last 78 games versus schools from the MAC, the best in the conference during that span. Miami is 22-6 over their last 28 MAC games, which includes three-straight trips to the MAC Title Game.
• The RedHawks have competed in five straight bowl games and have been bowl-eligible in nine of the past 10 seasons.
• Since Oct. 15, 2016, Miami has lost back-to-back conference games just three times in that span (2017, 2022, 2025). Miami is 17-4 following a conference loss, dating back to midway through the 2016 campaign.
• Of the 119 players on the 2026 roster, 55 (27 transfers, 28 freshmen) are new this season. Another 16 players are red-shirt freshmen and eight transferred in for the 2025 campaign. In all, 46.2% of the roster is new this season and 66.4% of the team has been with the RedHawks for one season or less.
About Chuck Martin
• Chuck Martin was named Miami head coach on Dec. 3, 2013.
• He was named a 2023 Finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award after an 11-3 season.
• Not only was he 74-7 in six years at Grand Valley State (2004-09), he has coached in seven national championship games in the past 23 seasons. Â
• Martin has an all-time head coaching record of 148-84.
• He is 74-77 all-time at Miami (57-35 in MAC play) and has won more games at Miami than any other coach. The previous high was held by Randy Walker (60 wins).
• Martin is the longest tenured active coach in the MAC.
• He has twice been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of the Year and has been a coordinator on both sides of the ball.
• Martin was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Grand Valley State University on Oct. 23, 2015.
All In The Family
Nearly every member of the RedHawks' staff either played at Miami, played for Chuck Martin previously or worked for him before getting hired on as assistant coaches. In some cases, such as running backs coach Chris Hudson and safeties coach Zane Ries, they did all three. (In fact, the only exception who doesn't check at least one of those boxes is Mitchell White...but White's twin brother worked for Martin!)
RedHawks Come Up Short versus BGSU
Leo Kemp's two-yard touchdown run with eight seconds left lifted Bowling Green to a 24-20 win over Miami last Saturday afternoon at Yager Stadium. Â Caleb Heavner threw for 198 yards and a score in his first career start for the RedHawks.
Kellan's Kicks
After opening the season 2-for-6 on field goals, junior Kellan McLaughlin was a perfect 4-for-4 on Saturday versus the Falcons. He is the first Miami kicker to knock in four field goals in a game since Oct. 25, 2025 (Dom Dzioban vs. Western Michigan). McLaughlin was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Week following his efforts with the Falcons.
Look at Lynel
Lynel Billups-Williams' 39-yard fourth-quarter reception was the longest of his career. His 20-yard punt return was the second-longest of his career (42 yards at Buffalo on Nov. 19, 2025). Billups-Williams added his second career receiving touchdown and finished with a career-high 75 receiving yards versus the Falcons.
Scoop and ScoreÂ
Scoop Smith recorded the first touchdown grab of his career versus the UConn Huskies  back on Sept. 26 and marked the third consecutive week that he was involved in a touchdown. He blocked a punt that Leo Colombi returned for a touchdown vs. Holy Cross and then returned a kick for a score against Cincinnati the previous two weeks. Smith currently is one of 15 players to return a kickoff for a score in 2026 and ranks second nationally in kick return average (39.3).
About UMass
UMass is 4-1 overall, but lost last week 38-14 to Eastern Michigan. William Watson III has thrown for 820 yards and seven touchdowns this season and has added 167 yards on the ground and four scores. Timmy Hinspeter leads the way on the defensive side of the ball with 36 tackles.
Back-to-Back Unique Meetings
Miami hosted UMass back on Sept. 28, 2024, a contest Miami won 23-20 in overtime. Dom Dzioban drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired to send the contest to overtime and then won the game with a 43-yard kick. The last time Miami was in Amherest, the RedHawks captured a 41-28 win, over nearly nine hours. The contest began at 3:32 p.m. and did not end until 12:28 a.m., due to five-and-half hours of weather delays.
Gotkowski and McComb to Miss Season
Miami will be down its top two quarterbacks for the rest of the season. Thomas Gotkowski suffered a season-ending injury during fall camp, while McComb was lost during the contest versus UConn on Sept. 26. Gotkowski helped lead the RedHawks to a MAC Title Game in 2025 and McComb was leading the NCAA in yards per completion (17.3) prior to his injury.
Heavner to Fill In
Caleb Heavner completed 17-of-24 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown in his first career start with the RedHawks on Oct. 3 versus BGSU. Prior to joining the Red and White, Heavner played in 29 games for Fort Hays St. Over his career at Fort Hays, he completed 344-of-545 passes for 3,632 yards and 25 touchdowns and added 1,154 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns with his legs.Â
In The Trenches
While there are many new players on the Miami roster, the RedHawks do return four starters along their offensive line: Greg Smith Jr. (19), Kris Manu (19), Eric Smith (18) and Jacob Schorsch (12) have started a combined 68 games throughout their Miami careers. Evan Malcore, who started 32 games at NIU over the past three years, has started five games for the Red and White this season. In all, that is a combined 105 career starts between the five offensive lineman.
About Miami
• Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (742), conference wins (330), MAC Championships (17) and bowl wins (9).  Historically, Miami's 742 career wins are third all-time among Group-of-Five programs, behind just Navy (758) and Army (747).
• Miami was 4-14 in Coach Martin's first 18 Mid-American Conference games. Since then, the RedHawks are 55-23 in their last 78 games versus schools from the MAC, the best in the conference during that span. Miami is 22-6 over their last 28 MAC games, which includes three-straight trips to the MAC Title Game.
• The RedHawks have competed in five straight bowl games and have been bowl-eligible in nine of the past 10 seasons.
• Since Oct. 15, 2016, Miami has lost back-to-back conference games just three times in that span (2017, 2022, 2025). Miami is 17-4 following a conference loss, dating back to midway through the 2016 campaign.
• Of the 119 players on the 2026 roster, 55 (27 transfers, 28 freshmen) are new this season. Another 16 players are red-shirt freshmen and eight transferred in for the 2025 campaign. In all, 46.2% of the roster is new this season and 66.4% of the team has been with the RedHawks for one season or less.
About Chuck Martin
• Chuck Martin was named Miami head coach on Dec. 3, 2013.
• He was named a 2023 Finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award after an 11-3 season.
• Not only was he 74-7 in six years at Grand Valley State (2004-09), he has coached in seven national championship games in the past 23 seasons. Â
• Martin has an all-time head coaching record of 148-84.
• He is 74-77 all-time at Miami (57-35 in MAC play) and has won more games at Miami than any other coach. The previous high was held by Randy Walker (60 wins).
• Martin is the longest tenured active coach in the MAC.
• He has twice been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of the Year and has been a coordinator on both sides of the ball.
• Martin was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Grand Valley State University on Oct. 23, 2015.
All In The Family
Nearly every member of the RedHawks' staff either played at Miami, played for Chuck Martin previously or worked for him before getting hired on as assistant coaches. In some cases, such as running backs coach Chris Hudson and safeties coach Zane Ries, they did all three. (In fact, the only exception who doesn't check at least one of those boxes is Mitchell White...but White's twin brother worked for Martin!)
RedHawks Come Up Short versus BGSU
Leo Kemp's two-yard touchdown run with eight seconds left lifted Bowling Green to a 24-20 win over Miami last Saturday afternoon at Yager Stadium. Â Caleb Heavner threw for 198 yards and a score in his first career start for the RedHawks.
Kellan's Kicks
After opening the season 2-for-6 on field goals, junior Kellan McLaughlin was a perfect 4-for-4 on Saturday versus the Falcons. He is the first Miami kicker to knock in four field goals in a game since Oct. 25, 2025 (Dom Dzioban vs. Western Michigan). McLaughlin was named MAC Special Teams Player of the Week following his efforts with the Falcons.
Look at Lynel
Lynel Billups-Williams' 39-yard fourth-quarter reception was the longest of his career. His 20-yard punt return was the second-longest of his career (42 yards at Buffalo on Nov. 19, 2025). Billups-Williams added his second career receiving touchdown and finished with a career-high 75 receiving yards versus the Falcons.
Scoop and ScoreÂ
Scoop Smith recorded the first touchdown grab of his career versus the UConn Huskies  back on Sept. 26 and marked the third consecutive week that he was involved in a touchdown. He blocked a punt that Leo Colombi returned for a touchdown vs. Holy Cross and then returned a kick for a score against Cincinnati the previous two weeks. Smith currently is one of 15 players to return a kickoff for a score in 2026 and ranks second nationally in kick return average (39.3).
About UMass
UMass is 4-1 overall, but lost last week 38-14 to Eastern Michigan. William Watson III has thrown for 820 yards and seven touchdowns this season and has added 167 yards on the ground and four scores. Timmy Hinspeter leads the way on the defensive side of the ball with 36 tackles.
Back-to-Back Unique Meetings
Miami hosted UMass back on Sept. 28, 2024, a contest Miami won 23-20 in overtime. Dom Dzioban drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired to send the contest to overtime and then won the game with a 43-yard kick. The last time Miami was in Amherest, the RedHawks captured a 41-28 win, over nearly nine hours. The contest began at 3:32 p.m. and did not end until 12:28 a.m., due to five-and-half hours of weather delays.
Gotkowski and McComb to Miss Season
Miami will be down its top two quarterbacks for the rest of the season. Thomas Gotkowski suffered a season-ending injury during fall camp, while McComb was lost during the contest versus UConn on Sept. 26. Gotkowski helped lead the RedHawks to a MAC Title Game in 2025 and McComb was leading the NCAA in yards per completion (17.3) prior to his injury.
Heavner to Fill In
Caleb Heavner completed 17-of-24 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown in his first career start with the RedHawks on Oct. 3 versus BGSU. Prior to joining the Red and White, Heavner played in 29 games for Fort Hays St. Over his career at Fort Hays, he completed 344-of-545 passes for 3,632 yards and 25 touchdowns and added 1,154 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns with his legs.Â
In The Trenches
While there are many new players on the Miami roster, the RedHawks do return four starters along their offensive line: Greg Smith Jr. (19), Kris Manu (19), Eric Smith (18) and Jacob Schorsch (12) have started a combined 68 games throughout their Miami careers. Evan Malcore, who started 32 games at NIU over the past three years, has started five games for the Red and White this season. In all, that is a combined 105 career starts between the five offensive lineman.
Players Mentioned
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