The Bearcats need to win on Saturday in the Battle for the Victory Bell. Specifically, Scott Satterfield needs to win Saturday in the Battle for the Victory Bell. What has he done through 14 games as the Bearcats head coach? He led the Bearcats to a win at Pitt in Week 2 in 2023. Since then, the Bearcats are 2-10 in their last 12 games. In that 12-game stretch, the Bearcats have lost to both Miami (Ohio) and Pitt at home.

Bearcats fans who expressed doubt when Satterfield was hired back in December of 2022 are letting their voices be heard once again. The Bearcats were in the College Football Playoff less than three years ago. Now, they haven't beaten an FBS team at home in the 14 games Satterfield has been the head coach for. In addition, the Victory Bell is in Oxford for the first time since 2005. That's a far fall for a program that was one of the country's most consistent for 20 years.

After letting a 27-6 lead last week against Pitt slip away, it's fair to say that Satterfield could be coaching for his job on Saturday when the Bearcats take on Miami at Yager Stadium in Oxford. If the Bearcats, a Big 12 team, lose to Miami, a Mid-American Conference team, for a second straight season, then what will that say about Satterfield?

More importantly, a loss at Miami will put the Bearcats further away from where they were just three years ago. Satterfield is coaching for his job in this game. If Bearcats fans are expected, or supposed to, care about this program, then Satterfield is expected to lead this team to victory. Even in the bleak years transitioning from Tommy Tubberville to Luke Fickell, the Bearcats always beat Miami. Satterfield hasn't done that yet, in addition to everything else he hasn't done. Winning on the road at Miami will, at the very least, be a small step forward for the Bearcats program under Satterfield's leadership.

With that, here's a look at Miami (Ohio) and the key players to watch at each position.

Head Coach: Chuck Martin - Martin is int is 11th season as the head coach at Miami (Ohio). His 56 wins are only three behind Randy Walker for the most wins of any head coach in Miami history. Martin's 119 games coached at Miami is the most in program history, and he was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year in 2023.

Quarterback: Brett Gabbert is in his sixth season with the RedHawks, and he is a very good experienced quarterback. He's back this season after missing the last six games of 2023 with a leg injury, and he was solid in Miami's first game at Northwestern two weeks ago.

Gabbert is third in Miami history in passing yards (8,140) and touchdown passes (59). Saturday will be the 41st start of his career. In last season's meeting at Cincinnati, Gabbert passed for 237 yards and three touchdowns while adding 75 yards on the ground. Gabbert is on the Preseason Watch Lists for the Davey O'Brien and Johnny Unitas Watch Lists.

Running Back: The RedHaws had just 40 rushing yards in their 13-6 loss at Northwestern in Week 1. Gabbert rushed for -21 yards, though, so that 40 rushing yards is an outlier in a way. Jordan Brunson (No. 6) was Miami's leading rusher against Northwestern with 33 yards on eight carries. First on the depth chart this week, though, is Keyon Mozee (No. 3). Mozee had just 11 yards on six carries in Week 1.

Wide Receivers: Cade McDonald (No. 15) led all Miami receivers with eight catches for 105 yards against Northwestern. Those are both career highs for McDonald, who had 28 catches for 353 yards in 2023.

Tight End: Jack Coldiron (No. 89) had two catches for 20 yards in Week 1. Like Gabbert, Coldiron is also coming off a season-ending injury in 2023 when he injured his knee against Miami (FL).

Offensive Line: This is one of Miami's biggest strengths on its roster. The RedHawks have four players that have combined for 106 starts in their careers, and all four of them started all 14 games in 2023. They include right tackle Reid Holskey (No. 56), left tackle Will Jados (No. 70), right guard Kolby Borders (No. 64) and left guard John Young (No. 71). Center Charlie Bank (No. 71) made his first career start at Northwestern.

Defensive Line: The RedHawks are really good at getting after the quarterback. They led the MAC with 35 sacks in 14 games last year, which was also 26th in the country. Brian Ugwu (No. 8) is the player to watch along the defensive line, a player who had eight sacks in 2023.

Linebackers: Matt Salopek (No. 15) is the Reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the Mid-American Conference. He has three straight seasons with 100+ tackles, and he had 10 tackles against Northwestern in Week 1. His 402 total tackles are 10th all-time in program history. He's also started 41 games in his career.

Also keep your eye on Ty Wise (No. 10). Like Ugwu, Wise had eight sacks in 2023 and is one of four players on Miami's defense with at least 20 career starts.

Secondary: Miami's biggest strengths on its defense is up front and at linebacker. Their secondary still has players to watch. Keep your eye on Raion Strader (No. 13) and Ambe' Caldwell (No. 19), who both had pass breakups at Northwestern.

Special Teams: Alec Bevelhimer (No. 35) was a Second-Team All-MAC in 2023. He averaged 39 yards per punt on four total punts at Northwestern with one inside the 20-yard line and no touchbacks. Dom Dzioban (No. 31) was 2/3 on field goals at Northwestern with makes from 26 and 43 yards, respectively. Dzioban was also a Second-Team All-MAC punter in 2022.

FRANKIE’S GAMEPLAN TO VICTORY

1) The Bearcats need to limit the explosive plays on Saturday. Even though Miami's offense only scored six points at Northwestern in Week 1, this Miami team is capable of putting up points. Gabbert has plenty of experience, and he has a plethora of receivers to throw the ball to. For a Bearcats team that gave up explosive plays early and often against Pitt last week, this will be another test for their young and unproven secondary.

2) Corey Kiner needs carries early and often in this game. Miami's defense is stingy, but a relentless running attack will eventually cause them to tire and wear down. The RedHawks were 34th in the country last year in allowing just 132.2 rushing yards per game. Kiner had a great game last week, rushing for 140 yards on 20 carries. But there's still plenty of meat left on the bone for the Bearcats to utilize with Kiner. He still hasn't scored a touchdown this season, and could have played a key role in sealing a win last week against Pitt. Running the ball in this game will be paramount in Brendan Sorsby's first road start as a Bearcat. Plus, the Bearcats ran the ball unbelievably well last year against the RedHawks, finishing with 273 yards. Ryan Montgomery and Emory Jones each had 20 carries and over 100 yards rushing.

3) We all know the Bearcats special teams has had a lot of miscues in the first two weeks of the season. Against Miami, it needs to be solid. In a rivalry game, you never know what can decide the outcome of the game. That's what special teams needs to be solid on Saturday.

Carter Brown had a 35-yard field goal blocked at the end of regulation, and Miami won the game in overtime. That blocked field goal came after a fake punt by the Bearcats, a gutsy call that seemingly put them in position to win the game.

4) In the game against Miami last year, the Bearcats red zone execution was not good. The Bearcats were just five-of-eight in the red zone, and that includes not scoring in the red zone at the end of regulation and in overtime. So far this season, the Bearcats are 7-10 in the red zone with four touchdowns. Red zone execution will go a long way towards deterring the outcome of this game.

SCORE PREDICTION: Bearcats 27 - Miami (Ohio) 24