Miami Ohio University Athletics
RedHawk Football Welcomes Fans to 2003 Season With Exciting Day
8/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 16, 2003
Miami University's Football Program and head coach Terry Hoeppner welcomed the RedHawk faithful to the 2003 season Saturday with an exciting day that included an autograph/photo session, the annual Pigskin Picnic and the annual fall Red and White Scrimmage.
"Combining our photo and media day with the Pigskin Picnic and scrimmage was something we've never done before, but I think it was very well received by everyone involved," Hoeppner said. "It was meant to be a sort of fan appreciation day, but I think our players enjoyed it as well."
After a morning spent taking team photographs, the RedHawks convened on the offensive practice field where they mingled with the fans in attendance while signing autographs and posing for photos. The autograph session was followed by the annual Pigskin Picnic, where the public was treated to talks from director of athletics Brad Bates, Miami University President Dr. James Garland and Hoeppner.
Miami finished off the exciting day by providing a preview of what is to come in the annual fall scrimmage. Though an informal scrimmage in which certain restrictions were placed on the offense no score or official statistics were kept, the RedHawks showed flashes of brilliance, including two touchdown passes each from quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Betts.
"Any time you scrimmage, it's going to be a lot different than practice," Hoeppner said. "Both good things and bad things are going to be revealed when you place yourself in a game situation for the first time. It was a great opportunity for us, and I really have to give a lot of credit to the guys for playing through the heat."
The defense, which flew to the ball all day, seized the advantage in the early going, stuffing the first three drives by the first and second-string offenses and allowing only one first down on that stretch.
"My biggest fear coming into today was that we'd miss a lot of tackles," defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi said. "We did miss a few that resulted in some big plays for the offense, but considering that this is the first real opportunity we've had to tackle at full speed, I think we did well. With what we learned today, we can really concentrate on coaching tackling and angles. I think with two more sessions like today we'll be in good shape."
Senior running back Luke Clemens put the offense on the board for the first time, when he capped a 60-yard drive by hurdling over a defender and into the endzone. Roethlisberger completed five passes on the drive.
Betts followed up with an impressive scoring drive of his own, completing five-of-five passes, including an 18-yard touchdown strike to a wide-open Tyler Vogel. The sophomore quarterback led another scoring drive on his next possession, connecting with true freshman Ryne Robinson on a 35-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown was part of a big day for Robinson, who hauled in six receptions on the afternoon and came a tackle away from returning a punt for a touchdown.
"It was great to get our young receivers in a game circumstance," offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery said. "Guys like Ryne Robinson, Darren Paige and Ryan Busing have really done a great job picking up the offense, and we've really thrown them into it. I think they're definitely going to help us in the big-play category. We need them to not look like freshmen, and they've really risen to that challenge."
To start the second-half, Roethlisberger, led the first-string offense on another lengthy touchdown drive, connecting with junior Derrick Rehage on a four-yard touchdown pass. Roethlisberger's last drive of the day resulted in a 41-yard touchdown strike to senior Korey Kirkpatrick.
Defensively, junior Matt Pusateri was in on a team-high eight tackles, while redshirt freshmen Dontae Wright and Bryan Tyson made six and five tackles, respectively. Sophomore defensive back Ryan Redd brought the crowd to its feet on special teams by blocking two consecutive field goal attempts.
According to Hoeppner, with the first scrimmage under his team's belt, the focus changes with the conclusion of the first phase of fall camp.
"For the past couple of weeks, all of our attention has been on Miami and how we can get better," Hoeppner said. "Now we can start focusing on our first opponent. There will be a lot more preparation for Iowa in the next couple of weeks. I think our guys are ready. They're tired of beating up on each other."
