Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 21, 2024 37 GAME PREVIEW: MIAMI (OHIO) ami's last chance to knock off a Power Four-level opponent before its MAC slate begins. After the Irish struggled against an- other MAC team in NIU, it's a safe bet the RedHawks will enter South Bend with confidence. COMEBACK QUARTERBACK On Oct. 21, during Miami's first matchup with Toledo, a strong season from fifth-year RedHawks quarterback Brett Gabbert came to a sudden and painful end. Gabbert suffered a gruesome right leg injury, for which he had to be carted off the field in a large cast. The details are difficult, but necessary, to read. "I knew [the bone] was sticking out because our linemen were freaking out and yelling," Martin said, according to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman. "I felt my fibula go first," Gabbert said. "It sounds gross, but you can obvi- ously feel and you can hear it. Then felt my tibia go, and that doesn't feel great. I just remember throwing my helmet off and waving to the sideline just to have them come out there and cover it up because obviously the bone was sticking out." He watched as backup quarterback Aveon Smith, who later transferred to Alabama A&M, took his place and his teammates won the MAC title anyway. But the RedHawks know they need Gabbert back, and his comeback story is incredible. Most, according to Feldman, thought his career was over and some even believed he'd never walk again. Instead, he returned for Week 1. His toughness, Feldman wrote, is the stuff of legend. And it earned him the No. 101 spot on Feldman's Freaks List, for grit and resolve alone. Gabbert — the younger brother of former Missouri star and longtime NFL quarterback Blaine Gabbert — finished his 2023 season with 1,634 yards on 187 attempts (8.7 yards per attempt) with 14 touchdowns and 5 picks. His return, along with the defensive stars, is one of the primary reasons Miami is the favor- ite in the MAC this season. Gabbert started the Northwestern game, which could have gone better. Still getting his legs under him after the serious injury, he completed 22 of 37 throws for 227 yards (6.1 yards per at- tempt) with 2 interceptions. He was also sacked 4 times. He told Martin, per The Miami Stu- dent, that he felt rusty early against the Wildcats. "He said everyone was moving a little quicker than he [was used to]," Martin said. "There's a couple throws he wants to have back, obviously, that weren't as accurate as he was used to." The bright side for the RedHawks is that he appears to have a new top target in wide receiver Cade McDonald, who caught 8 passes for 105 yards against the Wildcats. He outproduced everyone else on the team by at least 73 yards. Beating Notre Dame would add a chapter to Gabbert's story that col- lege football would talk about for gen- erations. Not the final chapter, because Miami still has MAC title aspirations, but a lengthy one. The Irish will try to prevent it from being written. ✦ 2024 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 31 at Texas A&M W, 23-13 Sept. 7 Northern Illinois L, 16-14 Sept. 14 at Purdue W, 66-7 Sept. 21 Miami (Ohio) (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 28 Louisville (Peacock) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 12 Stanford (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Oct. 19 vs. Georgia Tech# TBA Oct. 26 vs. Navy^ (ABC/ESPN) 12 p.m. Nov. 9 Florida State (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 Virginia (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 23 vs. Army* (NBC) 7 p.m. Nov. 30 at USC TBA # at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta; ^ at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.; * Shamrock Series at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, N.Y. ; Games on NBC are also televised by Peacock Quarterback Brett Gabbert — the younger brother of former Missouri star and longtime NFL quarterback Blaine Gabbert — finished his 2023 season with 1,634 yards on 187 attempts (8.7 yards per pass), with 14 touchdowns and 5 picks. PHOTO COURTESY MIAMI (OHIO) ATHLETICS 2024 MIAMI (OHIO) SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 31 at Northwestern L, 13-6 Sept. 14 Cincinnati L, 27-16 Sept. 21 at Notre Dame (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 28 Massachusetts TBA Oct. 5 at Toledo TBA Oct. 12 at Eastern Michigan TBA Oct. 19 Ohio TBA Oct. 26 Central Michigan TBA Nov. 5 at Ball State TBA Nov. 13 Kent State 7 p.m. Nov. 19 Northern Illinois TBA Nov. 29 at Bowling Green 12 p.m.