RedHawks Face Iowa State in Dec. 28 Independence Bowl
12/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 14, 2004
Complete Independence Bowl Notes in PDF Format
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Selected 2004 Player Bios in PDF Format
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REDHAWKS TO FACE CYCLONES IN INDEPENDENCE BOWL: For the second straight season, Miami University's football team is going "bowling" when the RedHawks travel to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., for a Dec. 28 showdown with Big 12 North Co-Champion Iowa State University. The Red and White, which is making consecutive bowl appearances for the first time since the program won three straight Tangerine Bowls from 1973-75, has forged an 8-4 record on the way to a second straight MAC East Division title and second consecutive MAC Championship game berth. The Independence Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET and is televised by ESPN.
ON THE TUBE: The Dec. 28 Independence Bowl is being broadcast live on ESPN. The contest marks Miami's 10th appearance on ESPN or ESPN2 since 2002, with the RedHawks posting a 5-4 mark in those games. The RedHawks appeared on national television five times last season, including appearances in the MAC Championship game and GMAC Bowl, and have made four appearances this season, including their ABC debut at Michigan on Sept. 4 and the Dec. 2 MAC Championship game.
THE SERIES: The 2004 Independence Bowl marks the first meeting between Miami and Iowa State, with the Red and White totaling just three all-time meetings versus opponents from the Big 12. Miami's last two meetings with a Big 12 were against Oklahoma State--then of the Big Eight--in 1985 and 1988, with the Cowboys dominating both contests. Miami's lone bowl meeting with a current member of the Big 12 was in the 1948 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, which Miami won 13-12.
GOING "BOWLING": Miami's Dec. 28 appearance in the Independence Bowl marks the ninth overall bowl appearance by the Red and White, which has posted a strong 6-2 record through its first eight bowl games ... Last season's GMAC Bowl appearance was Miami's first bowl game since 1986. The RedHawks are in back-to-back bowl games for the first time since it won three straight Tangerine Bowls from 1973-75 ... The $1.2 million dollar payout of the Independence Bowl is the largest ever earned by the MAC ... The MAC has a league-record five teams in bowl games this year after never having more than two in previous years ... Since 1997, the MAC is 8-2 in bowl games.
CLASSIC CONFRONTATION: The Independence Bowl match-up pits one of the nation's top 30 offenses, Miami, against an Iowa State defense that ranks 35th nationally in total defense and 37th in scoring defense despite a rigorous schedule. The Cyclones have held all but three of their opponents to fewer than 30 points, while Miami has scored at least 35 points six times this season and ranks 20th nationally in scoring offense (32.8 ppg). In terms of passing defense, the Cyclones have allowed only five of their 11 opponents to throw for 200 yards and just one to pass for more than 300 yards, while Miami has passed for 200 or more yards 11 times in 12 outings and surpassed 300 yards four times.
GROUND WAR: While the match-up between Miami's offense and ISU's defense is intriguing, the other side of the match-up is every bit as important. The Cyclones, who run the ball an average of 43.4 times per game will have to move the ball against a Miami rushing defense that ranks 17th nationally and has held six of its opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing. ISU is averaging 160.3 yards rushing per game over its last six games, while Miami is allowing only 97.5 yards on the ground over it past six contests. Only three teams--Toledo twice--have rushed for 150 or more yards against Miami, with all three owning wins against the Red and White.
ROADHAWKS: By posting wins in its last three contests away from Yager Stadium, Miami rallied its road record to 3-3 before dropping a neutral-site loss to Toledo in the MAC Championship game. Traditionally a strong road team, the RedHawks have gone 26-17 away from home during Terry Hoeppner's tenure, including a 16-7 mark outside of Oxford since 2002. Miami has not finished a season with a losing road record since 2001 and led the nation in 2003 with eight wins away from home. The Independence Bowl marks Miami's third neutral-site game under Hoeppner, with the RedHawks winning the 2003 GMAC Bowl and falling in the 2004 MAC Title game.
AS THE BALL TURNS: Without question, Miami's worst enemy in losses this season has been itself. A year after enjoying a +1.4 turnover margin, which ranked among the best nationally, the RedHawks are struggling with a -0.75 turnover margin. Turnovers have taken center stage in all four of Miami's losses, with 15 turnovers in those games resulting in a whopping 72 points. Combining with Miami's offensive struggles is a defense that has been less opportunistic this season, forcing only 20 turnovers this year after ranking second nationally with 39 turnovers created in 2003.
NO STRANGER TO SHREVEPORT: While the Dec. 28 Independence Bowl marks the first time Terry Hoeppner has coached in Independence Stadium, Miami's mentor was twice a player in the stadium during his World Football League days. As a member of the Detroit Wheels and Charlotte Hornets in the early `70s, Hoeppner twice traveled to Shreveport for contests against the Shreveport Steamers.
MAKING HIS MARK: While a great deal was made early on of Josh Betts having big shoes to fill, the junior has quietly gone about making his own name. One of the nation's top 12 offensive weapons, Betts is placing his name among the best Miami passers of all-time. Betts' 3,255 yards passing this season are second only to Ben Roethlisberger's junior-year total and joins Betts and Roethlisberger as the only two Miami quarterbacks to pass for 3,000 yards in a season. The junior, who ranks fourth on Miami's single-season charts with 22 TD passes, also is within range of the MAC's single-season top 10 for passing yardage. Betts 3,611 career yards passing already rank seventh on Miami's career charts.
THE COMEBACK KID: A 1,000-yard rusher in 2002, Miami's Luke Clemens had his true senior season ended just two games in by an injury at Northwestern. After earning a medical redshirt during the offseason, Clemens is back for a fifth year and leading the RedHawk rushing game. Miami's top rusher with 877 yards this season, Clemens regained his old form down the stretch, averaging 97.3 yards rushing, 20.6 yards receiving and totaling 11 touchdowns. Clemens, who started the season splitting carries, has earned the feature-back role since Miami's Oct. 16 game at Buffalo and has averaged 24.0 carries a game over the past six outings. Clemens, who started his Miami career as a defensive back, is on pace to join the programs' career top 10 rushers.
STEADY AS CAN BE: With a first-quarter reception at Akron on Nov. 20, senior wide receiver Michael Larkin laid claim to the NCAA record for most consecutive games with a reception. Since making his collegiate debut at Iowa in 2001, Larkin has made at least one catch in 49 consecutive games, surpassing the NCAA record of 47 previously shared by USC's Kareem Kelly (1999-2002), Northwestern's Kunle Patrick (2000-03), Texas Tech's Wes Welker (2000-03) and Texas' Roy Williams (2000-03). During the course of the streak, Larkin made the minimum one reception just five times, while snagging five or more catches 20 times. He is Miami's all-time leading receiver in terms of receptions (198), receiving yards (2,753) and receiving TDs (32).
ON A ROLL: Since giving up 20 first-half points to Kent State on Oct. 9, Miami's defense has rallied in grand fashion. Over the past 26 quarters of play, the Red and White has allowed only 18 scoring drives, and 98 first downs out of 81 total possessions (1.2 first down per possession). The RedHawks restricted both UCF and Buffalo to fewer than 200 yards of total offense and held the Golden Knights to a mere seven first downs--the lowest total allowed since holding Akron to five first downs in 1995. Miami is giving up only 5.0 yards per play over the current stretch, compared to the RedHawk offense which is averaging better than 6.1 yards per play over the same period.
GRINDING TO A HALT: The key to Miami's resurgent defense over the past two seasons has been its ability to stifle the run. Miami's rushing defense, which has restricted the opposition to just 108.8 rushing yards per game, ranks 17th nationally and is giving up just 3.1 yards per carry. Over the past 25 games, Miami's rushing defense has held 13 of its opponents under 100 yards rushing, including seven to fewer than 50 yards. During that same span, only eight opponents have totaled more than 150 yards on the ground versus Miami. Versus the MAC in regular-season play, Miami allowed only 77.5 yards rushing per game, including a season-low nine yards rushing allowed to Ohio on Sept. 18.
A BLIP ON THE RADAR: While a key factor of playing "Miami Football" involves an aggressive defense, the Red and White appeared tentative in a 45-26 loss at Cincinnati, in which it gave up 599 yards of total offense, including the highest rushing total allowed by the Red and White since 1996. Fortunately, the breakdowns experienced by Miami that were just a blip on the radar. In the RedHawks' other 11 games, they have given up just 308.7 yards per game, which would rank 19th nationally. Also impressive, Miami has allowed just 87.7 yards rushing and 2.6 yards per carry in its other 11 games.
A STRONG SAFETY INDEED: The unquestioned veteran leader of the Miami defense, senior strong safety Matt Pusateri has made 47 consecutive starts for the RedHawks and played in all 50 games since making his debut as a redshirt freshman. A walk-on success story, Pusateri ranks sixth all-time at Miami with 474 career tackles and in the MAC Championship game became the program's all-time leader with 306 career unassisted tackles. The senior, who also has two interceptions this season, is coming off a season-high 15 tackles and career-best 12 solo stops versus Toledo.
