Miami 7, Akron 0

Miami moved one game closer to the MAC Championship game with a bizarre 7-0 win over Akron on Senior Night at Yager Stadium.

Neither offense scored the entire game, as the Redhawks picked up the night’s only score on defensive end Craig Mester’s fumble return touchdown with just under ten minutes to play. The score was Mester’s first at any level of football, and came on his final game in Yager Stadium.

“I picked some pretty good timing, don’t you think?” Mester quipped afterward.

Both defenses suffocated the offenses all night, forcing 17 punts altogether. The Redhawks were more successful moving the ball, but Akron picked off Daniel Raudabaugh passes in its own endzone on three straight possessions to keep the Redhawks at bay.

A Miami fumble gave Akron its best field position of the night to start the fourth quarter. The Zips advanced to the Redhawk 29 yard line before QB Chris Jacquemain badly underthrew Zip WR Jabari Arthur in the end zone for an interception. That drive followed 9 straight Akron possessions ending in punts.

Finally, Miami (4-1, 5-1, 6-5) broke the ice on Mester’s fumble return. Akron coach elected to give backup QB Carlton Jackson a try after Jacquemain struggled terribly all night (12-33, 116 yards, 2 INT). On Jackson’s first series, the Zips took over at their own 23.

Facing a third down and long, Jackson dropped to pass but was rushed by Miami LB Clayton Mullins. Mullins rocked Jackson’s arm as he went to throw, and the ball fell right in to Mester’s arms. The senior took it 7 yards for the score.

Mullins and the Miami defense owned the night, holding Akron to just 216 yards on 70 plays. Mullins himself had 5 TFL as the Redhawks repeatedly frustrated Akron’s offensive attack.

Both quarterbacks had brutal nights throwing the ball, with Jacquemain unable to find open targets and Raudabaugh continuously giving the ball away deep in Zip territory.

Most importantly for Miami, the Redhawks are now one win away from winning the MAC East and advancing to face CMU in the MAC title game in Detroit. If Miami loses to Ohio next Saturday at Peden Stadium, the Redhawks can still advance with a Buffalo loss to either Bowling Green or Kent State.

Buffalo at Miami Game Story

Miami used crisp passing and a run-stuffing defense to beat Buffalo 31-28 in a showdown of MAC East leaders Saturday at Yager Stadium.

The Redhawks (3-1, 4-1, 5-5) gave up a 92-yard first quarter TD run to James Starks, but buckled down and limited Buffalo’s potent ground game to just 103 yards. Starks finished with 148 rushing yards for Buffalo, but 6 sacks of Bull QB Drew Willy were harmful both to UB’s rushing totals and their chances of winning in Oxford.

Daniel Raudabaugh was Miami’s big gun on offense; the quarterback, who is still filling in for an injured Mike Kokal, completed 20 of 26 passes for 259 yards and 2 TDs. Raudabaugh was never sacked, and afterward Redhawk head coach Shane Armstrong cited Miami’s lack of negative plays as a big reason for their success.

“We did very well on third down today,” Armstrong said, “because we put ourselves in a position to have a lot of third and shorts instead of third and longs.”

Miami converted 8 of 15 third down chances, and scored on 5 of 6 red zone opportunities. Despite the Redhawks’ solid all-around performance, and a yardage disparity that saw Miami outgain Buffalo 475-320, the Bulls had a chance to win late, but came up empty.

After Naaman Roosevelt caught a 3-yard fade pass from Willy with 2:54 to play, Willy threw a 2-point pass to Brett Hamlin to cut Miami’s lead to 3. The Bull defense forced a three and out, and after a Miami punt, Buffalo took over at its own 30 with 2:27 to go. The Bulls got one first down to the Miami 45, but on 2^nd and 10, Willy was sacked by Jeff Thompson and fumbled. Travis Craven recovered, and the Redhawks needed merely to burn the last minute of clock to seal the win.

Buffalo (3-1, 4-2, 4-6) now gets a bye week before facing Bowling Green at UB Stadium in two weeks. The Bulls are still very much alive in the MAC East race, along with only Miami and Bowling Green. But both other squads are now dependent on a Miami loss, and Raudabaugh said after the game that repossessing first place was the goal on this gorgeous late autumn afternoon.

“It’s a good feeling to be in this position, and it’s a good position that we’re in,” Raudabaugh said. “We wanted to come in today, and take back the MAC East.”

One of the MAC’s traditional powers got all it wanted from the conference upstart who proved yet again, even in defeat, that it is a dangerous football team.

Naaman Roosevelt sparkled again for the Bulls, with 6 catches for 39 yards and 2 scores, including the late TD that brought Buffalo within 5. Roosevelt’s first score came with just 34 seconds remaining in the first half, and cut an early Redhawk lead to 17-14. On the ensuing kickoff, Miami fumbled, giving the Bulls great field position with just seconds to go in the half. An A.J. Principe field goal at the first half gun tied the score and sent Buffalo in to the locker room riding the wave of momentum.

“I just told my guys that I was going to tell them the same time I told them at half time of the Bowling Green game,” Armstrong said, in reference to a recent contest which Miami led, 30-7, at half. “I told them that we have to get better and play better in the second half.”

The Redhawks did just that, scoring a TD on its first second half drive to go up 24-17.

Miami plays Akron at Yager in 11 days then travels to Peden Stadium for a date with Ohio in the regular season finale. If the Redhawks win both, they’ll be in Detroit for the MAC Championship game. If Miami falters, Buffalo can take the title with wins to close the year against Bowling Green and Kent State.

For Bowling Green to win the East, one of the following scenarios must occur:

1. BGSU wins out, and both Miami and Buffalo lose out.
2. Miami and Buffalo each lose once more, and BGSU wins out.
3. BGSU beats Buffalo and Miami loses twice.

If Bowling Green ends up one-on-one with Miami, they will lose the tiebreaker, but the Falcons can still grab a tiebreaker over Buffalo with a win in two weeks.

Miami 20, Kent State 13

Miami suffered a rash of injuries to several key players, but gutted out a tough 20-13 win over Kent State at Dix Stadium Saturday.

Daniel Raudabaugh filled in for injured Miami QB Mike Kokal, throwing 8 of 12 for 186 yards and the go-ahead score. The defense added two crucial interceptions pinned in their own territory, and fifth year senior Austin Sykes, who began the year as a third string tailback, chipped in 74 yards on 18 carries.

Miami (1-0 MAC East, 2-0 MAC, 3-3 overall) built a 7-point lead on the first drive of the second half, then held on to win late, knocking Kent State QB Julian Edelman out of bounds on fourth down inside the 1 on Kent State’s final offensive play with under two minutes to go.

With about a minute to play in the first quarter, Miami’s Kokal was forced from the pocket on a 3^rd and 12 from the Kent State 15. The senior QB made one of most athletic plays of the day, juking and jiving defenders before going down at the 1. Immediately after hitting the ground, Kokal grabbed his right ankle and came off limping. The Redhawks’ Nathan Parshegian would kick a 21 yard field goal to give Miami a 10-7 lead.

Kokal continued to play, but after planting his back foot awkwardly on a cross-field throw, came off pointing to his knee, and in went Raudabaugh on the next drive.

“I just go in there, try to look those guys in the eye,” Raudabaugh said. “Maybe I’ll crack a joke or something, you know, to keep everyone on their toes.”

On his first series in the game, Raudabaugh looked lost, making an ill-advised throw that should have been intercepted by a Kent defensive back. Coming out of the locker room, however, Raudabaugh and the Miami offense looked sharp, ripping off a 7 play, 71 yard drive to begin the second half and take the lead for good. Raudabaugh capped the drive with a 11yard touchdown toss to Jake O’Connell.

For Kent State (1-2 MAC East, 1-2 MAC, 3-3 overall), the story was once again excessive penalties and an inability to turn yards in to points. The Golden Flashes lost for the second time in three weeks while outgaining their opponents by 50 yards or more, but red zone turnovers and back breaking penalties did them in.

On two separate occasions, Kent State QB Julian Edelman threw balls high up for grabs, only to have them intercepted by Miami DBs Robbie Wilson and Wendell Brunson. The second pick by Brunson was particularly painful, coming in the end zone just two plays after the Kent State defense had recovered a Kokal fumble at the Miami 28.

Penalty woes plagued the Golden Flashes as well. Kent’s final drive was a nutshell of how harmful penalties were for them all day. After a spectacular run by Edelman brought Kent State inside the Miami red zone, trailing 20-13 with under three minutes to play, a holding penalty on first down and an intentional grounding call on second down gave Kent 2^nd and goal from the 32.

After a nifty pass to RB Eugene Jarvis set up 3^rd and goal from the 11, Edelman was unable to elude pressure and took a sack, forcing 4^th and goal from 17. Scrambling from the pocket on the fourth down play, Edelman opted to run. Needing all 17, Edelman was able to elude a few Miami defenders, but came up just short of the end zone.

The Kent State QB finished with 22 carries for 93 yards, and 19-33 passing for 260 yards. Jarvis, the nation’s third leading rusher entering the contest, was held to 82 yards on just 19 carries.

Jarvis got the scoring started with a three yard run, capping the game’s first drive less than four minutes in to the contest. Miami answered with a 1-yard TD run from Sykes with 7:26 remaining the first period. The squads traded field goals twice, once to keep the game tied at 10-10 after the early scoring, and again later to maintain Miami’s 7-point second half margin.

Miami gets Bowling Green next week at Yager Stadium in a battle of MAC East unbeatens. Kent State travels to Ohio Stadium to face the undefeated, 4^th ranked Buckeyes.

Miami 14, Ball State 13

Muncie, IN – Shane Montgomery put it all on the backs of his offensive line. His confidence was rewarded.

Miami’s (1-0, 1-0 MAC) Brandon Murphy capped a run-heavy possession with a 6-yard touchdown jaunt with just 21 seconds to play, leading the Redhawks to a 14-13 victory over interdivision MAC rival Ball State (0-1, 0-1 MAC).

After a 56-yard Eugene Harris punt return gave Miami possession at the Ball State 23 with just under two minutes to play, Montgomery called three consecutive runs.

“We just decided we were going to put it on our offensive line, put it on their backs,” Montgomery said. “We wanted to put the game in their hands.”

With under two minutes to go and plenty of timeouts remaining, Montgomery opted to use as much clock as possible in an effort to keep Ball State’s Nate Davis-led offense off the field. The strategy worked, with three carries by RB Brandon Murphy taking the ball from the 23 to the 6. Murphy finished 19 carries, 123 yards and both Miami touchdowns.

After Murphy was stopped for no gain on 1^st and goal, a quick Mike Kokal pass fell incomplete. Miami called timeout, and Montgomery opted to trust the line once again. Murphy’s 6-yard gallop left only enough time for two Ball State heaves.

The win spoiled the grand opening of Ball State’s newly renovated Scheumann Stadium. A 13.7 million dollar renovation, completed this offseason, included installation of a gorgeous new field turf, a slick four-story media center, 184 Club Seats, and a hillside for family seating in North End Zone.

The expansion was designed both to entice recruits and provide fans with a “wow” inducing experience. While the success of the first objective remains to be seen, the Cardinals seemed to achieve the second. An announced crowd of 15,488 showed enthusiasm throughout the game, and included a student attendance record of 7,885.

With 75 degree weather, the supportive home crowd and the beautiful renovations, everything came together perfectly for the Cardinals. Except the final score.

“There’s a lot of season left, a lot of season left,” a visibly dazed Ball State coach Brady Hoke said afterward. “We can still accomplish a lot of what we want this year, but this obviously isn’t how we wanted to start things off.”

The Ball State media interview room is peppered with motivational signs, including several large signs reading simply “One Yard”. The importance of that single yard loomed large Thursday.

After Cardinal DB B.J. Hill picked off a Mike Kokal pass in the end zone, Ball State had 1^st and 10 at the 20 with a little over 4 minutes remaining. Two MiQuale Lewis rushes later, the Cardinals faced 3^rd and a short yard from the 29. This time it was the Redhawk defensive line that came up big, stuffed Lewis for no gain, and forcing a Ball State punt. All-MAC punter Chris Miller’s 50-yard boot was returned 56 yards by Harris, setting the stage for Murphy’s late game heroics.

Cardinal QB Nate Davis was frustrated at his line’s inability to get the crucial yard.

“It all starts with the guys up front,” Davis said. “When we needed that one yard tonight, we didn’t get it done.”

Later, Davis backed off a bit, saying that the contest was a team loss, but his frustration was evident. After struggling to connect on several deep balls early in the night, Davis finally hit on a 24-yard touchdown strike to Dante Love with 10:42 to play. The score featured a spectacular shoestring catch by Love, and put the Cardinals up 12-7.

The five point lead forced Hoke to decide between a PAT, and a 6-point lead, and going for two.

“There was just a lot of time left,” Hoke said. “If you don’t get it there, two field goals beat you. I didn’t think 13 points was going to win.”

Hoke also faced a tough ‘kick-or-go’ decision just before half. With the Cardinal offense struggling to build momentum, Hoke opted to send his offense on the field facing 4^th and 3 at the Redhawk 6.

“Just trying to build some momentum there,” said Hoke. “It’s one of those things where you look back at half time and say ‘man, we should have kicked’. But you never know.”

Nate Davis’ pass fell incomplete, and Ball State went to half time trailing 7-3.

The Miami victory avenged last year’s 20-17 loss at Yager Stadium in Oxford.