It has been a tough decade for the Miami (OH) Redhawks, save for the 10-4 record they posted in 2010. They went 8-5 in Ben Roethlisberger's final season in 2004 then went 7-4 in 2005 during Shane Montgomery's first season. Montgomery coached from 2005 through 2008, finished with a 17-31 record, and never made a bowl game. Mike Haywood took over in 2009 and went 1-11 before coming up with a great turnaround in 2010. Haywood went 9-4 and took the Pittsburgh job before the bowl game. Don Treadwell took over for three seasons (2011 through 2013) but ended with a final record of 8-21 after being fired following the Central Michigan game. Now, Chuck Martin takes over the Redhawks. Let's look at Treadwell's final season in 2013.

2013 Miami (OH) Redhawks Season

It was a tough season in 2013 for Miami. Their offense was not very good despite bring back ten starters from 2012. They were switching to a more option based offense, but finished with an average of only 9.8 points and 226 yards per game. They did have injury problems as well, which helped compound the problem. The defense was disappointing as well giving up 35.7 points and 484 yards per game with eight starters returning. The schedule was not too daunting, but it was still an uphill climb. Don Treadwell was let go after the Central Michigan game and the team responded with close losses to Massachusetts (17-10) and Akron (24-17). After that, the team failed to make it close and finished the season winless. The 2013 results are below.

Offense

As previously stated, ten starters came back in 2013 and they finished with a lowly 9.8 points per game. This year, eight starters return, but the biggest addition is at quarterback in the form of Andrew Hendrix. Hendrix spent the previous three years at Notre Dame but only played sparingly. In 26 games, Hendrix amassed 360 yards passing and 229 yards rushing. Head coach Martin was the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame and the two unite again in 2014. Hendrix should improve the numbers by leaps and bounds this season (QB's only averaged 124 yards per game in 2013).

The top four rushers from 2013 all return with Spencer Treadwell expected to lead the way. Treadwell only had 171 yards and one touchdown in 2013, but impressed the coaches enough to be on top of the depth chart. Redshirt freshman Damon Washington is also expected to see some playing time. With stability at quarterback, this group should do much better than the 102 rushing yards per game they averaged last year.

The top three receivers all return and another Notre Dame transfer joins the fray. The top receiver from 2013 was Dawan Scott with 28 catches, 425 yards, and two touchdowns. David Frazier played in the first eight games in 2013 while recording 28 catches, 302 yards, and two touchdowns. The new addition is tight end Alex Welch. Welch, like Hendrix, spent three years at Notre Dame. He played in 22 games and recorded just one reception. With Hendrix behind center, this group should put up far better numbers.

Four of the five starters return on the offensive line for the Redhawks. The line gave up 50 sacks in 2013, but they should be better in 2013. Center is the only position that needs a new starter and this is expected to go to senior Marcus Matthews. All of the starters will be at a junior standing or higher, which should provide great leadership on the offense.

Defense

The 2013 defense was slightly worse than the 2012 version. In 2012, the Redhawks gave up an average of 34.9 points and 468 yards per game. For 2013, the defense gave up 35.7 points and 484 yards per game. Eight starters returned in 2013, which is why it is a surprise they did worse. Now, the Redhawks have seven starters returning and a new coaching staff to contend with.

Two of the four starters need to be replaced on the defensive line that gave up an average of 223 rushing yards per game. Bryson Albright is expected to handle one of the defensive end spots. Albright had 55 tackles and five sacks last year with the five sacks being the most on the team. Albright and the defensive line should have a better year in 2014.

Kent Kern will lead the defense and linebackers in 2014. Kern was the leading tackler in 2013 with 98 tackles and also recorded five tackles-for-loss. For his efforts, Kern was named to the MAC 2nd team in 2013. The third leading tackler, Josh Dooley (87 tackles), will occupy the weak linebacker spot. Tyler Tucker should take over at the strong side linebacker spot and he started the last four games in 2013. He finished with 50 tackles. Overall, this unit should be a strength with the amount of experience they have.

The secondary gave up an average of 261 passing yards per game in 2013. They have three starters returning and, just like at quarterback and tight end, the new starter is a Notre Dame transfer. Lo Wood is the new guy from Notre Dame and is expected to take over at one of the cornerback spots. Wood recorded 19 tackles and one interception in 32 games in his three years at Notre Dame. He is replacing 1st team MAC honoree Dayonne Nunley. Heath Harding (56 tackles, 3 interceptions in 2013) will occupy the other cornerback spot. Jay Mastin will comeback at strong safety and Brison Burris will be at costless safety. This should be a better group in 2014.

Special Teams

Kicker Kaleb Patterson was a bright spot for the Redhawks in 2013. He only attempted 11 field goals, but made 7 of them with a long of 52. He has a strong leg as noted by his three attempts at 50 yards or longer (made two of those three). At punter will be Christian Koch. He has not had any action since he had to backup Zac Murphy last year. It will be a drop off for the Redhawks at punter this year.

2014 Season Outlook

It is tough to envision a season as bad as 2013 happening again. On offense, the addition of Andrew Hendrix and Alex Welch will easily help the Redhawks score more points. Defensively, they have many solid players, but there is a concern about learning a new scheme. The schedule is similar to 2013. They open the season with home games versus Marshall and Eastern Kentucky. The out-of-conference schedule ends with roads games against Michigan and Cincinnati. The complete 2014 schedule is below.

Based on the schedule, it will be another losing season for the Redhawks. They should be able to dispatch FCS Eastern Kentucky. In conference, they could beat Massachusetts and Western Michigan to reach three wins. It does not sound like much, but there is a long way to go before the Redhawks are competitive in the MAC again. Year one of Chuck Martin should be the foundation if Miami is to return to MAC glory.