Miami Football Faces MAC East Foe Buffalo on the Road Saturday
10/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 10, 2006
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MIAMI BEGINS TWO-GAME ROAD STRETCH AT BUFFALO: Coming off a difficult loss, 28-25, against preseason Mid-American Conference favorite Northern Illinois, Miami University's football team (0-6; 0-2 MAC) begins an important two-game MAC East Division road stretch Saturday when it travels to the University at Buffalo (1-4; 0-3 MAC). Both teams are in search of their first league victories of 2006 and are looking to end lengthy droughts. Miami is off to its slowest start since 1988 and is 0-6 for just the third time in program history.
SCOUTING THE BULLS: Under the direction of first-year head coach Turner Gill, Buffalo is looking to change its fortunes in the MAC standings. The Bulls opened the season with back-to-back overtime contests, defeating Temple, 9-3, in overtime before falling to Bowling Green, 48-40, in triple overtime. Presently mired in a four-game losing streak that includes losses to BGSU, Northern Illinois, Auburn and Ball State, UB returns 13 starters from last season's team, which finished 1-10 overall and 1-7 in the MAC.
SERIES HISTORY: Miami and Buffalo are meeting for the ninth time in a series that has been dominated by the RedHawks ... Miami has won the previous eight meetings between the schools, beginning with a 27-7 victory in Oxford in 1951 ... the teams have been MAC rivals since 1999, with Miami posting a 7-0 record versus the Bulls in league play ... Miami is making its fourth all-time trip to Buffalo, where it leads 3-0 but needed a second-half comeback in its 2004 victory ... last season, Miami downed the Bulls 54-13 in Oxford, forcing eight UB turnovers.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Miami begins the second half of its season this weekend when it kicks off a key stretch in which it plays four of its next five games away from home ... after back-to-back road games at Buffalo (Oct. 14) and Akron (Oct. 21), the RedHawks return home to face Ball State (Oct. 28) before making road trips to Western Michigan (Nov. 4) and Bowling Green (Nov. 15) ... Saturday marks Miami's first MAC road game of 2006 ... the RedHawks are 3-1 under head coach Shane Montgomery in league road games.
NEXT UP: Miami faces another MAC East Division rival on Saturday, Oct. 14 when it looks to continue a recent run of success against defending MAC Champion Akron. The RedHawks have won the last five meetings with the Zips, including a 51-23 victory in Oxford last season. The game is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. from Akron's Rubber Bowl.
TOUGH STARTS: Off to an 0-6 start for the first time since 1988 the RedHawks are attempting to avoid what would be just the second 0-7 start in program history ... the Red and White's only previous 0-6 starts came in 1976 and 1988, with the `76 team starting 0-6 and the `88 team starting 0-8 ... Dick Crum's 1976 team went on to win three of its final five games to finish 3-8 and pave the way for the MAC Championship 1977 squad ... Miami's worst start was in 1988, when it lost its first eight games and finished 0-10-1 ... the RedHawks' longest winless streak extended from 1987-89, when it went 0-18-2 over a 20-game stretch.
DON'T PANIC: While Miami's rocky start in 2006 is certainly not what the team had hoped for, the RedHawks have a recent history of overcoming sluggish starts with fantastic finishes. Over the past three seasons, the RedHawks have posted a combined record of 17-1 over the course of their final six regular-season games.
PLENTY TO PLAY FOR: Though Miami is off to a dismal 0-6 start, the Mid-American Conference race is still not over for the RedHawks. Miami needs to be three games better than MAC East leader Kent State the rest of the way but has overcome early league deficits in each of the last two seasons. In 2004, Miami started at 1-1 in the MAC before winning its final six league games and the MAC East title. In 2005, Miami started at 1-2 in the league before winning four of its last five league games and earning a share of the MAC East title.
BEAST OF THE EAST: Miami has enjoyed an impressive run in MAC East Division play in recent years. The RedHawks, who have won at least a share of the last three division titles, have never finished outside of the top three teams in the East and have finished among the top two teams in the division seven times. Miami has won 18 of its last 20 games versus current MAC East foes. Since division play began in 1997, the RedHawks have gone a dazzling 37-6 (.860) versus the five other current members of the MAC East. A loss to Bowling Green last season ended a 17-game winning streak versus the other active members of the MAC East.
THE OFFENSIVE MATCH-UP: Miami's offense matches up with a Buffalo defense that has struggled since surrendering just three points to Temple in the season opener. Over the past four games, the Bulls have allowed 43.0 points per game. On the season, UB ranks 118th nationally in both rushing defense (254.6 ypg) and pass efficiency defense (161.3). Three Bulls ranks among the top 50 tacklers nationally, including senior linebacker Ramon Guzman (9.8 tpg), junior linebacker Ollice Ervin (9.0 tpg) and senior linebacker Jeff Bublavi (8.6 tpg). In the previous eight meetings between the teams, the Bulls have held Miami under 25 points only once.
SIGNS OF LIFE: After being held under 300 yards of offense for three straight games, Miami's offense hit its stride again Sunday night versus Northern Illinois. Running backs Brandon Murphy and Andre Bratton, combined to rush for 94 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries (5.9 ypc), and the RedHawk passing offense added 372 yards and another touchdown. The RedHawks also were four-for-four in the redzone on the night and generated four plays of 30 yards or longer, including its longest scoring play since 2001.
IN THE BOOKS: With seven catches Sunday night, Ryne Robinson moved past former teammate Martin Nance as Miami's career leader in receptions with 211. It marked the third time in the past three seasons that the record had fallen. Robinson enters this weekend needing just 66 yards to break Miami's career record for receiving yardage.
AIR APPARENT: Though succeeding a pair of quarterbacks currently employed by the NFL is a daunting task, junior Mike Kokal has been up to the challenge. Playing in just his fifth game since being named Miami's starter prior to the season, Kokal completed an impressive 21-of-29 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown versus NIU. It was the second 300-yard passing game in the past four contests for Kokal, who ranks 15th nationally in total offense at 260.6 yards per game. Kokal's 64.0 percent completion percentage presently ranks as the second-highest single-season total in program history and the highest ever by a first-year starter.
CATCHING ON: A trio of redshirt freshmen flashed their potential as offensive playmakers during Sunday night's loss to Northern Illinois ... wide receiver Dustin Woods hauled in eight passes for 178 yards and an 80-yard touchdown versus the Huskies, which was the fifth-highest single game receiving total in program history ... running back Andre Bratton took over in the second half, rushing for 41 yards and a pair of touchdowns on six carries ... wide receiver E.J. Morton-Green made a career-long 38-yard reception in tight coverage to set up a go-ahead score late in the third quarter.
THE DEFENSIVE MATCH-UP: Miami's defense faces a resurgent Buffalo offense that is averaging 18.8 points per game a year after struggling to 10.0 ppg in 2005. Averaging 310.4 yards of offense, the Bulls rank 51st nationally and sixth in the MAC in passing offense, averaging 210.2 yards per game through the air. Sophomore quarterback Drew Willy ranks 52nd in NCAA Division I-A, posting 200.0 yards of total offense, while redshirt freshman James Starks is averaging 58.4 yards rushing per game to rank eighth in the league. The Bulls are allowing 4.0 sacks per game.
A COMMENDABLE EFFORT: Saddled with the daunting task of corraling the nation's leading rusher and fourth-ranked rushing attack, Miami's defense held up well against Garrett Wolfe and the Northern Illinois Huskies. Wolfe was restricted to a season-low 162 yards, while the Huskies as a whole gained just 154 yards on the ground--more than 120.0 yards under their season average. Wolfe was restricted to just one run of longer than 20 yards, and was hit for no gain or negative yardage 10 times. When excluding his three longest runs (55, 19, 16), Wolfe averaged just 2.8 yards per carry on his remaining 26 carries.
BIG PLAYS AT BIG TIMES: Miami's aggressive defense has nine turnovers this season and every one has been important. Of the nine turnovers attained by the Red and White, three have ended opponent drives in the redzone and four others set up short-field scoring drives for the offense. Another came late in regulation at Purdue and set up an opportunity for a potential game-winning field goal try. Miami's six interceptions this season rank 40th nationally.
HOLDING UP OVER THE LONG HAUL: Often a victim of poor field position due to turnovers and long kickoff returns, Miami's defense has allowed only two scoring drives of longer than 70 yards over the last four games. Of the last nine scoring drives allowed by Miami's defense, six have covered 50 yards or less.
THE MATCH-UP: Like Miami, Buffalo has used two place kickers on the year. True freshman Taylor Packwood is 3-of-6 on the year but has not connected from outside of 30 yards. Last week, senior Adam Tanalski connected from 42 yards and also converted two PATs ... UB punter Ben Woods is averaging 40.3 yards per punt and has booted seven punts inside the 20 ... UB's punt coverage team is allowing just 3.0 yards per return on 17 punt returns this season, and the Bulls rank fourth in the MAC in kickoff coverage at 17.3 yards per return ... freshman Naaman Roosevelt is averaging 16.9 yards per punt return this season to rank second in the MAC.
WELCOME TO THE BIG TIME: True freshman placekicker Trevor Cook, who was named Miami's starting kicker prior to the Cincinnati game, has not disappointed. The native of Sioux Falls, S.D., received his first career attempt in the first quarter of Miami's game at Cincinnati, and preceded to connect on a 49-yarder that gave the RedHawks their first lead of the season at 3-0. The kick was the longest by a Miami kicker since Andy Brumbergs connected on a 49-yard attempt at Ohio State in 2000 and tied for the ninth-longest field goal in program history. Cook connected on two more field goals Sunday night versus Northern Illinois, and is 3-for-3 for his career.
