Interviewing the Enemy: Q&A with Hustle Belt’s Steve Helwick

After 252 days without Northwestern football, the offseason has finally come to close and the Wildcats will be back in action. Following a surprise 8-5 season and a bowl win in 2023, the Wildcats are looking to take positive momentum into the new-look Big Ten this season. But hoping to stymie Northwestern from a hot start are the RedHawks of Miami (OH). To gather more information on the defending MAC champions, Inside NU had the pleasure to talk with Steve Helwick of Hustle Belt, who broke down some of the biggest narratives for the RedHawks headed into the season opener.

Inside NU: We have to start at the most important position. Brett Gabbert returns for his sixth year as a starter but is coming off a brutal right leg injury that cuts his 2023 season short. When he makes his first appearance against NU, what are you watching for and what are your expectations?

Steve Helwick: Ten months have passed since Gabbert’s brutal injury, so I’m curious to see how well he healed and if his movement about the pocket looks similar to what he did before. Also, over his six years on campus, he’s steadily improved in the mobility department and was on pace for his best rushing total of his career before he was carded off the field vs. Toledo last October. Thus, it will be interesting to see if he still plans to leave the pocket often and take the extra yardage Northwestern’s defense gives him. From a passing perspective, I expect him to look similar to the Gabbert we’ve become accustomed to over the last six years. He’s been a consistent All-MAC quarterback since 2021 when available, and with him in the lineup, Miami is much more comfortable with his passing game and will drop back more often than he did last November and December.

INU: With the transfers of Rashad Amos and Gage Larvadain, the RedHawks lose their top rusher and top receiver from 2023. Where do you see that production coming from in 2024?

SH: The running backs may have lost a 1,000-yard rusher in Amos, but the room still retains an impressive amount of depth and experience. Leading the unit is Keyon Mozee who held the feature back duties in 2021 and 2022, totaling a career-high 171 yards two years ago in his last matchup vs. Northwestern. Outside of Mozee, Miami uses Kevin Davis and Kenny Tracy quite often in the receiving game, and that pairing combines for 102 career receptions. The RedHawks also restocked through the portal by landing former Purdue second/third running back option Dylan Downing who actually had a career-high 17 carries in a previous matchup against the Wildcats.

At receiver, Miami may be primed for another breakout candidate like Larvadain. Nobody saw Larvadain’s early season production coming last year, and the most likely option to take over his No. 1 role is Cade McDonald. The former Michigan State product ranked second on the RedHawks in receptions (28), receiving yards (355) and touchdowns (3) in 2023 and should be more comfortable in his second year in the system. Javon Tracy and Reggie Virgil are the other starters and both receivers expect to see a spike in production this fall. As far as transfers, sixth-year senior Andre Johnson could unlock his true potential. Miami has done a great job at wringing out the best in transfer receivers like Larvadain, and Johnson could be next in line after totaling 387 yards and two touchdowns during an extended time at Arizona State.

INU: On the defensive side of the ball, it seems like Miami returns a significant portion of this defense which led the RedHawks to the MAC title. What are your biggest questions or concerns as it pertains to the unit in 2024?

SH: The biggest question marks likely exist in the secondary considering the RedHawks are replacing three starters in that group in cornerback Yahsyn McKee, safety Jacquez Warren and nickel Michael Dowell. The RedHawks do have a star in the making in cornerback Raion Strader who was a pleasant surprise with 13 pass breakups as a true freshman in 2023, but there are some unknowns regarding the moving pieces around Strader. Maybe the most surprising starter on the depth chart was Caleb Tubbs, who earned the corner spot opposite Strader and he enters 2024 with just one career tackle — signifying he had an excellent fall camp despite his lack of previous playing time. Then at nickel, Oscar McWood moves over from linebacker and it will be interesting to see how his position change pans out. There’s a lot to live up to in the secondary as Miami’s 2023 defense held teams to 198 passing yards (27th in the FBS) on a completion rate of just 58.7 percent.

INU: In last year’s opener, Miami went on the road to take on a Power Four opponent in Miami (FL) and got pummeled 38-3. In fact, Miami has not won its non-conference opener since 2015. In your opinion, who is the X-factor for Miami as they try and pull off the road upset against the ‘Cats?

SH: The X-factor is actually the offense, despite the wealth of experience returning on that side. Miami’s offense is often times a mixed bag in non-conference play, and it was very surprising the RedHawks only mustered up three points against the Hurricanes in last year’s opener. Three touchdowns might be enough to emerge victorious in Evanston on Saturday, so if the unit looks comfortable moving the ball early, that’s a game-changer. Miami possesses the best offensive line in the MAC, but the unit was overwhelmed in the 2023 opener at Miami (FL) which adversely affected the entire offense. If the pass protection remains strong, it comes down to how efficient and mistake-free Gabbert fares from the pocket. Turnovers could easily swing this one, and nobody knows that better than Northwestern which took so many teams by surprise last year by remaining dominant in the turnover battle.

INU: Give us a score prediction. Who wins, and why?

SH: Miami (OH) wins 21-19. I don’t think either fanbase is expecting the score of this one to pierce into the 30s. It’s going to be an unaesthetic football game dominated by the defenses, and every touchdown and field goal will feel significant, just like it did in the 2022 matchup at Ryan Field.

Northwestern consistently plays to the level of its opponent. The Wildcats found themselves in eight one-score games last year including seven of the last eight, and those one-score games ranged from an FCS team in Howard to Big Ten West champion Iowa to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. Thus, I’m not expecting much separation between the teams. Also, the Wildcats haven’t had the best luck versus the MAC lately, dropping four of their last seven, and the switch to a makeshift venue could eliminate home-field advantage in Week One. Miami possesses a MAC championship pedigree and returns a significant amount of talent, and that experience will pay dividends down the stretch of a close game, just like we saw with SMU last week when things got tested in the fourth quarter at Nevada.

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For the other side of our Q&A home-and-home with Hustle Belt, see our responses here.