David McComb hit Damarion Witten for a 75-yard touchdown in his first college game, the sort of throw that makes a new quarterback immediately interesting. Pittsburgh had already scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, however, and Miami had finished the first quarter without a first down. The RedHawks eventually lost 59-14.
That combination matters more than either half of it alone. McComb completed 16 of 33 passes for 241 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, showing explosive ability without yet delivering steady efficiency. Miami converted only three of 13 third downs and rushed 21 times for 27 net yards. One long connection could not give the offense the drive-to-drive foundation it lacked.
The defense’s afternoon was worse. Miami allowed 646 yards on 75 plays, including 480 passing yards and seven passing touchdowns, while Pittsburgh converted seven of 11 third downs. Pitt then opened the second half with three consecutive touchdown drives and scored again on its next possession. Miami did not merely surrender isolated explosives; it repeatedly failed to get off the field.
Chuck Martin said Miami was better than it played but still “a ways away” and in need of a major step forward. Holy Cross offers an unusually favorable place to look for that step.
Watch for offense that can stay on schedule
Miami hosts Holy Cross at 1 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN+. The Fan Watch model gives the RedHawks a 95% chance to win, so the useful question is what Miami can build during the afternoon, not whether fans should spend the week dreaming about an upset elsewhere.
Gus Ragland, the former Miami quarterback elevated to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after three seasons coaching the position, now has to turn McComb’s arm talent into possessions that last. Against Pitt, the missing pieces were plain. They included useful runs on early downs, manageable third downs and completions that did not require a 75-yard payoff to matter.
Holy Cross has allowed 840 yards and 10 touchdowns through two games, including 433 rushing yards at 5.8 yards per carry. Its opponents have also thrown five touchdown passes on only 40 attempts. That gives Miami room to ask for both halves of a functional offense consisting of a run game that creates favorable downs and a passing game that punishes the defense without living entirely on low-frequency explosives.
Root for McComb to stack ordinary successes. A six-yard completion after a productive run, a conversion on third-and-4 and a long drive finished in the end zone would tell Miami fans more about Ragland’s rebuilt offense than another spectacular touchdown surrounded by empty possessions. The first game established McComb’s upside; this one can begin establishing whether he can sustain it.
Brechin’s defense has a specific opening
Bill Brechin enters his fifth season directing a unit that finished among the MAC’s top three defenses in each of his first four years as coordinator. Miami generated 133 sacks and 83 takeaways from 2022 through 2025. That history is why Pittsburgh’s 646-yard performance cannot be waved away as an ordinary bad day, but it is also why one Power Four opponent should not be allowed to define the unit permanently.
Holy Cross quarterback David Lynch has completed 44 of 75 passes for 577 yards through two games, but he has thrown five interceptions against one touchdown. The Crusaders have rushed for only 144 yards at 2.5 yards per carry and scored on four of eight red-zone trips. This is a targeted chance for Miami to restore the habits that normally drive Brechin’s defense. Disrupt the quarterback, take away possessions and win third down.
The passing volume still gives the secondary meaningful work. Miami fans should want fewer uncontested throws, pressure that arrives before routes fully develop and takeaways when Lynch offers them. Holding down Holy Cross because the Crusaders cannot run would be useful; controlling their passing game after what happened at Pitt would be reassuring.
Keep the afternoon in its proper place
This is Miami’s 2026 home opener, the first football meeting with Holy Cross and the game immediately before the neutral-site matchup with Cincinnati. That positioning makes it tempting to look ahead, but Saturday has enough substance of its own. The offense needs repetitions that connect McComb’s obvious talent to Ragland’s down-to-down structure. The defense needs to resemble Brechin’s established unit again.
Miami has appeared in three consecutive MAC Championship Games. Pittsburgh did not change the conference standings, but it did supply discouraging first evidence about whether this version of the RedHawks is ready to reach Detroit again. Holy Cross cannot answer that season-long question by itself. It can show whether Miami is already correcting the two failures that would make another title-game run difficult.
For the full Miami forecast, see the interactive Fan Watch and methodology page. Against Holy Cross, McComb needs to repeatedly move the chains, the running game needs to carry real weight, and Brechin’s defense needs to make passing volume work against the Crusaders instead of becoming another source of damage.