Miami - OH Redhawks vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights Prediction and Picks – September 6, 2025
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will host the Miami RedHawks this Saturday, and we'll preview the lines and odds in our Miami (OH) vs. Rutgers prediction. The Scarlet Knights escaped Week 1 with a surprisingly close win over the visiting Ohio Bobcats, while the RedHawks were shut out on the road against Wisconsin. Kickoff for Saturday's Week 2 game is set for 3:30 PM ET.
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How Will RedHawks Bounce Back?
The Miami RedHawks opened the 2025 football season with a tough visit to the Wisconsin Badgers, from which they returned with a tough but not unexpected 0-17 defeat. While the loss itself isn't overly informative, the RedHawks' offense gaining a paltry 117 yards on offense in Madison is a bleak forecast for their season. Dequan Finn, a seventh-year senior quarterback in his first year with the team, threw two interceptions while completing 9 of 18 passes for 83 yards. His team-high 12 rushing attempts only gained the team 13 yards. Kenny Tracy, a fifth-year senior running back, gained only 15 yards on six carries of his own.
The RedHawks are in their 12th season under head coach Chuck Martin, their third season with offensive coordinator Pat Welsh, and their fourth season with defensive coordinator Bill Brechin. They're 65-68 since Martin took the job in 2014, but they've earned a bowl berth in each of their last four seasons and are coming off two straight appearances in the Mid-American Conference championship game.
Heading into Week 2, the RedHawks are dead last in the FBS in offensive yards per game – 34.0 yards behind Buffalo, one of only two other teams to fall short of 200 yards in Week 1. Expect that figure to regress to the mean against Rutgers, if only because it mathematically has to.
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Rutgers Escapes Week 1 with Close Win
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights entered last weekend as 15.5-point favorites over the visiting Ohio Bobcats, and for good reason – Greg Schiano hadn't lost in opening week since returning as the team's head coach in 2020, and his team had just finished 2024 with a 7-6 record despite playing in the highly-competitive Big Ten. Then the game was played, and the Scarlet Knights needed a fourth-quarter field goal to win a game they led 31-14 in the second quarter. Ohio outgained Rutgers by 41 yards, matched them with 24 first downs, and – most notably – significantly outperformed them on third down. The Bobcats went 5-10 on third down; the Scarlet Knights, egregiously, converted only one of their own ten attempts.
Senior quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis opened his second year as the Knights' starter by completing 18 of 23 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. Antwan Raymond and C.J. Campbell Jr. both averaged over six yards per carry, combining for 158 yards and a touchdown on 25 rushing attempts. The offense played well overall, beyond the struggles on third down. Defensively, the team struggled to contain quarterback Parker Navarro, who threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns while running for 93 yards and another score.
Before playing Ohio, Rutgers' last game against a MAC opponent was their Week 2 game against Akron in 2024. That game ended in a 49-17 win for the Scarlet Knights, and may serve as a better reference for their upcoming matchup with the RedHawks than last week's surprise thriller.
Miami Ohio vs. Rutgers pick
Spread Pick for Miami Ohio vs. Rutgers
- Rutgers -15.5 (-110) (5 Units)
The Scarlet Knights went 7-5-1 against the spread in 2024 and covered in four of their last five games. The RedHawks, conversely, went 7-7 overall and only covered in two of their last seven games. Rutgers will be looking to course-correct after playing Ohio too leniently in the second half of Week 1, and Miami looks as hapless on opening weekend as any team in Division I. I'd take the Scarlet Knights to run out to another 15-point lead in the first half and do a better job of maintaining it in the second.
Over/Under Pick for Miami Ohio vs. Rutgers
- Over 45.0 (-110) (4 Units)
The Team Total Over went 9-4 in Rutgers games in 2024, and hit comfortably over the 51.5 line in their 34-31 win over Ohio last week. Miami is coming off a 0-17 loss that fell well short of the 41.5-point total line, but they also played a Wisconsin team that scored fewer than 20 points in four of five games to close 2024 (and lost 7-42 to Rutgers in October). If the Scarlet Knights are motivated, as they should be, then they might not need any help hitting 45 points in
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