Oct 27, 2001
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio (AP) - Freshman Ben Roethlisberger passed for two touchdowns and Rod Clark returned an interception 15 yards for a score as Miami of Ohio beat Western Michigan 25-11 Saturday.
Roethlisberger was 18-of-29 for 215 yards for Miami (6-2, 5-0 Mid-American). He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of his eight collegiate games.
Western Michigan (4-4, 3-2) was held to 168 total yards after averaging 384 yards in seven games.
Western Michigan trailed 16-0 until Charles Woods scored on a 3-yard run in the third quarter, and Robert Menchinger added a 30-yard-field goal to make it 16-11.
Then Brett Jackson kicked a 22-yard field goal for Miami, and Roethlisberger threw a 14-yard pass to Jason Branch to end the scoring.
Luke Clemens rushed 19 times for 100 yards for Miami. Branch had six catches for 64 yards.
A second-quarter safety was Miami's first since 1995.
WESTERN MICHIGAN vs. MIAMI
October 27, 2001
Yager Stadium - Oxford, Ohio
MIAMI NOTES:
* Miami (6-2, 5-0 MAC) won its sixth consecutive game and moved to 5-0 in Mid-American Conference play for the first time since 1977.
* With his first quarter touchdown pass to Eddie Tillitz, Ben Roethlisberger continued a string in which he has completed at least one touchdown pass in each of his first eight games. Tillitz found the endzone for the fifth time in the past four contests.
* Roethlisberger completed 18-of-29 passes on the day for 215 yards, notching his fourth consecutive 200+ yard passing game. His second touchdown pass, completed to Jason Branch in the fourth quarter, moved him to a second-place tie with Terry Morris (1986) for single-season touchdown passes and to sole possession of ninth-place on Miami's career chart for TD passes.
* Rod Clark's first quarter interception return for a touchdown, which was his first career interception, marked Miami's first defensive touchdown of the season and first since 1999.
* Jason Feldpausch's first quarter interception of a Roethlisberger pass, which first deflected off a Miami player, was Roethlisberger's first interception thrown in 44 passing attempts.
* Miami punter Michael Wafzig twice pinned Western Michigan within its own 10-yard line in the first half, resulting in an interception returned for a Miami touchdown and a safety. The safety was Miami's first since 1995.
* Miami's defense shut out an opponent in the first half for the first time this season.
* The RedHawk defense restricted a Western Michigan offense that was averaging 384 yards total offense per game to a season-low 168 yards. Miami's defense is allowing just 282 yards per game over the course of its six-game winning streak.
WESTERN MICHIGAN NOTES:
* Western Michigan (4-4, 3-2 MAC) absorbed back-to-back MAC losses for the first time since 1999.
* Despite penetrating inside Miami's 40-yard line three times in the first half, Western Michigan was held scoreless in the first half for just the second time this season.
* The 11 Bronco points were the lowest total versus a MAC foe since Western Michigan lost at Toledo 35-7 in 1998.
* Bryan Lape forced his sixth fumble of the season in the third quarter, tying a WMU single-season record that was established by Joel Smeenge in both 1988 and `89. He leads the MAC in forced fumbles. Ronald Rogers, who recovered the fumble, has three fumble recoveries this season.
Miami University Post-Game QuotesOctober 27, 2001Yager Stadium -- Oxford, Ohio
Miami Head Coach Terry Hoeppner
ON WESTERN MICHIGAN: "First of all, I'd like congratulate Western Michigan's defense. We really respect Western Michigan's defense. I told one of the TV guys before the game that this could be a defensive battle."
ON CONDITIONING OF MIAMI: "We hold up four fingers at the beginning of the fourth quarter to signify that it is our time. Our guys are extremely well conditioned. We'll be conditioning tomorrow, too."
ON REDSHIRT FRESHMAN QUARTERBACK BEN ROETHLISBERGER: "I was at the hospital with Ben last night until 1:30. He was having back spasms and was having difficulty breathing. He called me. I got in touch with (Miami Athletic Trainer) Gale Newton. Gale got in touch with the doctor who told us to go to the emergency room. Ben actually felt better today than he has all week."
ON JASON BRANCH'S UNSPORTSMANLIKE PENALTY AFTER HIS TOUCHDOWN: "Jason Branch got the penalty for slapping hands with a fan after his touchdown. We need all the fans we can get, but I'm going to have to tell them not to slap hands with the players."
Miami Junior Defensive Lineman Ryan Terry
ON HIS PERFORMANCE AGAINST WESTERN MICHIGAN: "The motivation for today is over in the Defensive Line room. We have a sack board and until today I didn't have any. The linebackers were riding me pretty hard. So I had to come out and show them I could do it. I decided that today was going to be my day."
Miami Redshirt Freshman Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
ON WESTERN MICHIGAN'S DEFENSE: "They put pressure on me all day long. That is the best defense I've faced all year."
ON HIS VISIT TO THE HOSPITAL FRIDAY NIGHT:"During the meeting last night, I started feeling a pain in my chest. When I got back to my room, I had difficulty breathing, so I called Coach Hoeppner. He got in touch with the doctor and told me to go to the emergency room. He said it was a sliding rib."
Western Michigan Head Coach Gary Darnell
Opening Statement: "I don't think you can start the day off without congratulating Miami's defense. I felt like our defense played well, but I think their defense obviously took over the game. They were totally astounding production-wise and they were able to make the big plays and all congratulations to them."
On Miami's overall performance: "What I see in Miami is coordination between offense, defense and the kicking game. It's not just one unit above the other, and I think they're working well off of each other. They have just enough strength in every area and that gives them a chance to play at a championship level."
