Miami will host Central Michigan at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, and the game now carries an extra layer of uncertainty because the Chippewas have not announced a starting quarterback. Angel Flores, Central Michigan's leading passer this season, left the Western Michigan game late in the fourth quarter after a hit that was flagged for targeting.
The RedHawks enter at 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Mid-American Conference, with a chance to extend their winning streak to three after a 34-14 win over Akron. Central Michigan is 3-4 and 1-2 in the league after a 21-14 loss to Western Michigan, a game in which the Chippewas scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, recovered an onside kick with 41 seconds left and still threw an interception on the final play.
This matchup is shaping up as a test of strength on the ground. Miami rushed for 324 yards against Akron, averaged 9.3 yards per carry and got 142 yards and two touchdowns from Rodney Nelson, while the defense has allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per game in the Mid-American Conference. Central Michigan, by contrast, has built its offense around the run, with 275 total rushing attempts and 143 passing attempts this season, and Flores has doubled as its top rusher with 618 yards on 128 carries.
That makes the quarterback question more than a sideline note. Jadyn Glasser entered against Western Michigan after Flores went down, but Central Michigan has not said who will start against Miami, leaving Matt Drinkall to sort out how much of the playbook he can trust if Flores is unavailable. Drinkall has already shown he can steady the program, going 7-6 in his first season and leading Central Michigan to a bowl game for the first time since 2021, but Saturday asks something different: whether a run-first team can keep its pace if its most productive runner is not the one taking the snaps.
Miami won the meeting 46-7 in 2024, but this game is built around a narrower question than last year's scoreline. Central Michigan still has enough production on the ground to make the trip to Yager Stadium meaningful, and Miami's job is to keep that run game from setting the terms while waiting to see whether Flores is cleared in time to start.
