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Zac Dysert (left) was a second team All-MAC selection despite missing Miami's last four games. Cornerback Dayonne Nunley (right) was Defensive MVP at the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Below left, Jerrell Wedge (43) and Evan Harris (30) combine for a stop. Nick Harwell, bottom right, has big-play speed. Photos by Mike Smith.

Head coach Don Treadwell, a former Miami player and most recently offensive coordinator at Michigan State, has enough resources to fashion a pretty good plan.

With a wealth of talent returning, the RedHawks were a narrow pick to claim the 2011 MAC East title, according to the preseason MAC media poll. Just one vote back, however, was an Ohio team that fumbled the East crown in its 2010 regular season finale and has won its last five meetings with the RedHawks. The Bobcats also host this year’s meeting.

OFFENSE
Miami’s offense peaked at season’s end. One of the key reasons for that was a resurgent running game. Senior running back Thomas Merriweather gained 182 yards in a crucial regular season finale against Temple. He followed that with 85 yards on 11 carries against Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship and an even 100 yards in the bowl win over Middle Tennessee State.

Merriweather is gone, but the RedHawks retain much of the crew that opened his running lanes. As the offensive line got healthy last year, Merriweather started to shine.

A personal correlation to Miami’s late-season success was Brandon Brooks.  The 6-3, 343-pound senior missed the first half of 2010 due to injury, but he returned to help Miami win its final six games.  In the process, he earned second team All-MAC honors for the second consecutive year. Poised to become a four-year starter, Brooks is moving to right guard after starting at left tackle (two games) and left guard (four games) in 2010. He began his career at left guard and registered 24 straight starts.

Matt Kennedy (6-5, 266, Jr.) also returned from injury for Miami’s stretch run. After sitting out spring drills, he will be at left tackle for the 2011 opener. Redshirt sophomore John Anevski (6-3, 277) moves into the left guard position, while former defensive lineman JoJo Williams moves to center after pulling duty at left guard last year.

Brad Bednour, a 6-4, 282-pound true junior, started every Miami game over the last two years – all at the center position. He moves out to right tackle for the upcoming campaign.

Getting the line healthy and adjusted to new positions has been a process. So has finding a replacement for Merriweather. Spring practice revealed little, but this fall Erik Finklea inched his way to the head of a pack that includes Orne Bey, Spencer Treadwell and Justin Semmes. Based on performance through fall practices, several could see action in the opener against Missouri.

“Erik Finklea has done a good job,” offensive coordinator John Klacik said. “Justin Semmes has done well in moving over from being a fullback to being a one back. Orne Bey and Spencer Treadwell are also doing a great job. We’re going to have to have a tailback by committee, and, right now, they’re all pushing each other to get better.”

If the RedHawks can muster an effective running game, opponents will see double trouble. The passing game returns a host of talented players. It starts, of course, at quarterback, and Miami has two experienced options.

Zac Dysert (6-4, 214, Jr.) was a second team All-MAC selection even though he missed the final four MU games with a spleen injury.  Austin Boucher (6-1, 206) stepped in as a redshirt freshman and guided the RedHawks to four straight wins.

Dysert has mended and is atop the depth chart. However, Boucher’s ability to scramble and his cool under pressure make him a very valuable resource.  “Zac’s really having a good camp,” Klacik said recently. “But so is Austin Boucher. We’re ready to go with both of them.”

Together, Dysert and Boucher helped MU finish third (all games) among MAC teams with an average of 253.7 yards per game (32nd nationally). The 64.2 percent completion percentage was tops in the league.

Three of the RedHawks’ top four receivers return. Armand Robinson, the 2010 leader with 94 catches, 1,062 yards and six touchdowns is gone. However, sophomore Nick Harwell, senior Chris Givens and junior Andy Cruse are valued targets. Givens (6-2, 203) bounced back from a 2009 injury and hauled in the critical fourth-and-20 tipped pass which set up Miami’s winning touchdown in the 2010 MAC championship.

Cruse (6-4, 210) also had a memorable grab on a 71-yard touchdown pass play with 19 seconds remaining in a 27-20 win over Central Michigan last year.

Harwell, meanwhile, has the potential to be one of Miami’s most explosive receivers in recent history. As a freshman, he ranked second on the squad with 64 receptions despite not playing in two early games and having just two receptions through four contests. Blessed with explosive speed, he was a second team All-MAC selection last year and will be a tough matchup for defenders.

Senior tight end Kendrick Burton, meanwhile, is a big target (6-4, 251) who came on strong in spring drills.

DEFENSE
There were games in 2010 when Miami’s defense struggled. Most of those days came in the first half of the season, and most were against non-conference foes. Unfortunately for the RedHawks, one of those setbacks was to Missouri (51-13), which happens to be MU’s opening game opponent this year. The other was to area rival Cincinnati (45-3).

By conference time, Miami was starting to gel on both sides of the ball. The RedHawks defense finished third (MAC games only) in scoring defense (17.9 ppg) and total defense (299.5 ypg). Miami was second against the run (95.8 ypg) and fifth in pass defense (203.8 ypg). On another measure, Miami ranked first in pass defense efficiency (99.3).

There are plenty of returnees from that defense, although the unit has been tweaked. As events developed, Treadwell eventually brought in former Kent State defensive coordinator Pete Rekstis to lead the RedHawks “D.”  His personnel philosophy is simple. “Our players have to prepare each and every day to be a starter. If someone can run and can tackle, they’ll play for us. … Our opponents are going to put their best players in space, and it’s up to us to tackle them.

Often getting the first shot at making tackles is a defensive line anchored by second team All-MAC tackle Austin Brown.  Redshirt senior Will Diaz and junior Wes Williams have moved into starting spots, along with sophomore Kelvin Jackson. Overall, the unit has been very effective – even through a number of combination experiments – during spring and fall drills.

One of the RedHawks’  strengths in recent years has been at linebacker, and this year should be no exception. Playmaker Evan Harris (6-0, 221, Jr.), if he can get/stay healthy, will be at one linebacker spot. He was named Miami’s Defensive Player of the Year following a 2010 season in which he recorded 94 tackles and tied for the team lead in interceptions (6).  His 137 yards of interception return yardage was fifth-best nationally.

Steady Jerrell Wedge (5-11, 220, Sr.) is back after leading the team with 101 tackles. He registered a team-best nine stops in the MAC Championship game and posted a personal season high with 13 tackles at the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

Redshirt sophomore Chris Wade will break into the lineup at the SAM linebacker spot.

Safety Jordan Gafford is gone, but the secondary has plenty of talent. Demetrius Quarles and Dayonne Nunley figure to start at corners.  Nunley enjoyed an outstanding freshman season, picking off six passes and demonstrating good open-field tackling skills. He was defensive MVP of the GoDaddy.com Bowl.  Pat Hinkel returns at one safety, while Anthony Kokal is set for the other spot. Injury-plagued Ryan Kennedy is an excellent fit in the secondary mix if he can get/remain healthy.



SPECIAL TEAMS
Martin Krysinski takes over placekicking for departed Trevor Cook. The sophomore will extend Miami’s field goal range options up to 55 yards.

Punter Zac Murphy was a third team All-MAC selection last year as a redshirt freshman. He averaged 39.1 yards, and showed a knack for hitting the coffin corner.  Coaching focus for Murphy through spring drills has been to improve hang time.

SCHEDULE AND NOTES
- Miami’s turnaround and late season run to the championship may have caught some teams by surprise. The RedHawks will not be under the radar this time around, but they return considerable talent and have gained a level confidence that was in short supply in recent years.
- Miami has a tough opener, returning to Missouri, where they absorbed a 51-13 loss. Tigers quarterback Blaine Gabbert has moved on to the pros, but UM gets nearly everybody else back. The RedHawks know pretty much what to expect, but they may need a new game plan against a veteran, Top -25 team.
- While Miami also returns many players from last year’s MU-UM meeting, it will be interesting to see what kind of schemes Treadwell and his staff have installed. The preseason Pigskin Picnic game was cancelled this year, and there seemed to be a concerted effort to keep the new RedHawks under wraps.
- After visiting Big 12 Missouri (Sept. 3), Miami travels to Big 10 foe Minnesota Sept. 17. It then starts a three-game home stand with an early MAC game against Bowling Green. Area arch-rival Cincinnati follows in the Battle for the Bell. The RedHawks were blitzed at Cincinnati last year, but played relatively well in a loss at Oxford the previous season. Army invades Oct. 8 to wrap up the non-conference schedule.
- Preseason MAC Division media favorites meet when Miami goes to Toledo Oct. 22.
- To win another Division title, Miami will likely have to defeat Ohio. That hasn’t happened lately, and this year’s matchup is in Athlens. 
- Wideout Harwell is on the Biletnikoff Award watch list, while Austin Brown is included on the Rotary Lombardi Trophy Award for down linemen watch list.
- Miami led the MAC (all games) in time of possession last year (32.52). It’s a good stat if you’re controlling the ball but not so good if the other team is scoring quickly. The RedHawks dropped to third in conference games (31.43) behind Eastern Michigan (33.30) and Northern Illinois (33.00).
- MU ranked second (MAC games) in sacks. The RedHawks registered 23 sacks for 157 yards. Kent State, where Rekstis was defensive coordinator, finished first with 28 sacks. Of course, having freshman Roosevelt Nix didn’t hurt the Flashes. He registered 10 sacks, 20 tackles for loss and ranked second in the conference with four forced fumbles.
-  Miami finished fourth in turnover margin (MAC) with plus-six on the year. Toledo led with plus-18, followed by Northern Illinois (plus 11) and Kent State (plus 7).