MAC East Division's Top Two Teams Collide on Saturday
10/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 29, 2007
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BEST OF THE MAC EAST DIVISION COLLIDE: The two top teams in the MAC's East Division--Buffalo (3-0) and Miami (2-1)--play each other this Saturday at Yager Stadium. A RedHawk win would knot the top of the standings with two games to play, while a Bulls win would guarantee them of no less than an East Division co-championship. Central Michigan (3-0), the only undefeated West Division team, is in control of its destiny. The East and West Division leaders will square off in the MAC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Detroit's Ford Field. Miami has won more MAC games than any other conference member (256), and its all-time MAC winning percentage of .674 (256-121-11) also leads the MAC. MU has won or shared 14 MAC titles, more than any other program.
IF MIAMI WINS ...: It would even Miami's season record to 5-5 ... it would improve the RedHawks' overall Mid-American Conference record to 4-1 and their MAC East Division record to 3-1 (a Miami victory would enable the RedHawks to tie Buffalo for the East Division lead)... it would bring the team within one game of bowl eligibility for 2007 ... it would be Miami's 10th consecutive victory against Buffalo (MU leads the all-time series, 9-0).
THE SERIES: - Miami and Buffalo meet for the 10th time in series history in a game that pits the Mid-American Conference East Division's top two teams against each other.
- The RedHawks hold a 9-0 lead in the all-time series with the first meeting coming in 1951 and annual meetings since 1999 when the Bulls joined the Mid-American Conference.
- Miami is 5-0 when playing in Oxford, winning its first home meeting against the Bulls in 1951, 27-7. In the last meeting at Yager Stadium, the RedHawks recorded a 54-13 win in 2005.
- Last season's game in Buffalo was delayed a day due to significant snowfall in the Buffalo area that restricted travel. Miami scored 24 unanswered points in the second half and held on late to seize a 38-33 win, its first win of the season. Joey Hudson had two of Miami's four interceptions against the Bulls, and Jordan Gafford blocked a punt and recovered it on the 5-yard line to set up the go-ahead touchdown for the RedHawks.
THE COACHES
MIAMI HEAD COACH Shane Montgomery (North Carolina State, `90) is in his third season at the helm of the Miami program, owning a 13-19 record ... Montgomery led the RedHawks to a share of the MAC East Division title in his first season (2005) ... also serves at the offensive coordinator and has since 2001 ... since that time, Miami has consistently ranked among the top 30 in passing offense and has ranked among the top 45 nationally in total offense five times.
BUFFALO HEAD COACH TURNER GILL (North Texas, `90) is in his second season guiding the Buffalo Bulls and has the team sitting atop the MAC East Division standings at 3-0 ... he owns a 6-15 record at the helm of the Buffalo program ... Gill was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 1983 as a quarterback at Nebraska ... he later joined the Nebraska coaching staff and was a part of three national championships with the Cornhuskers as an assistant coach.
MIAMI ONLY MAC EAST TEAM BUFFALO HAS NEVER DEFEATED: Including its very first game against Buffalo in 1951, Miami has a perfect 9-0 series record against the Bulls (5-0 at Oxford). The average victory margin in the first nine contests has been 28 points per game (38.1 to 10.1). The RedHawks have limited the Bulls to seven points or less four different times and have scored 25 points or more on eight occasions. In the five games played at Oxford, Miami's average margin of victory has been 35.4 points per game (42.8 to 7.4).
BEST MIAMI PERFORMANCES VS. BUFFALO: In Miami's previous nine games against Buffalo, the following are the RedHawks' top individual efforts:
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING: Steve Little, 222 yards (35 atts.-222 yds.-2 TD); 11/18/00 INDIVIDUAL PASSING: Josh Betts, 306 yards (25 comps.-36 atts-1 int.-2 TD); 10/16/04 INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING: Trevor Gaylor, 165 yards (5 recs.-165 yds.-2 TD); 11/20/99
MIAMI AMONG COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S ELITE TEAMS: In college football history, Miami ranks 20th in terms of all-time victories with 645. MU is the only non-BCS-affiliated school in this rarefied air. Among all-time collegiate teams with the best winning percentage, Miami ranks 16th at .6316 (645-367-44). MU ranks 13th in winning percentage among schools that have played 100 or more seasons, trailing only Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, Penn State, Ohio State, Alabama, Nebraska, Southern California, Tennessee, Georgia and LSU.
7, 40, 42: There are three special numbers in Miami football history, and the men who once wore those jerseys all were in attendance the Oct. 13 game. Number seven, once the property of All-America quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, is the latest to be retired by Miami. Thanks to an off-week for the Pittsburgh Steelers, "Big Ben" was able to come back to Oxford on Oct. 13 for the jersey retirement ceremony. Roethlisberger was joined by former Miami player and coach JOHN PONT (#42, retired in 1951), and former MU running back BOB HITCHENS (#40, retired in 1973).
HOME-GAME SUCCESS: Following a record seven-straight home-game losses, the RedHawks have won their last two contests at Yager Stadium, defeating Syracuse (17-14) and Bowling Green (47-14). Miami hasn't won three consecutive games on its home field since the 2005 season.
REDHAWK CAPTAINS: Miami has three captains in 2007, and will name at least one player each week to be a game captain. The three players who were elected by their teammates include quarterback Mike Kokal (Sr., Warren), running back Brandon Murphy (Sr., Strongsville) and linebacker Joey Hudson (Jr., Piqua). Craig Mester (Sr., Grand Rapids, MI), Steve Meister (Sr., Allison Park, PA) and Charlie Norden (Sr., Dublin) all served as game captains at Vanderbilt. The captain for the Buffalo game will be named later this week.
IN TWO WEEKS: The RedHawks continue MAC action on Nov. 14 (7:30 p.m.) with a night game at Yager Stadium against Akron. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
KROGER BECOME TICKET SOURCE FOR REDHAWK SPORTS: Miami University football fans can now purchase reserved-seating tickets to RedHawk football games at all 110 southwest-Ohio Kroger supermarkets. A $2 discount per-ticket is given to patrons that purchase their Miami University football tickets at Kroger. Customers can ask to purchase the tickets at the checkout lanes with the amount added to their grocery bill and the vouchers printed out on site. Miami football tickets purchased at Kroger are non-refundable and each ticket purchased is valid for one reserved seat to any 2007 RedHawk home game. The tickets, issued in voucher form at any checkout lane, will be exchanged for tickets at Yager Stadium ticket windows, located at the south and west sides of the stadium, on game day. Reserved Miami football tickets purchased at Kroger are for all west sideline sections at Yager Stadium with the exceptions of sections 3, 4 and 5.
THIS WEEK'S REDHAWK BIRTHDAYS: Sunday, Oct. 28 - Peris Edwards (20); Sunday, Nov. 4 - Tom Crabtree (22)
MIAMI'S OFFENSE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WINNING AND LOSING: In Miami's four victories, the team's rushing yardage (827) and its passing yardage (815) is virtually the same. In the RedHawks' five losses, the team's passing yardage (1,306) far exceeds its total rushing yardage (341).
REDHAWK RUNNING BACKS IN AND OUT OF REVOLVING DOOR: Senior running back Austin Sykes (Coraopolis, PA) rushed for 49 yards vs. Vanderbilt, increasing his 2007 numbers to a team-leading 427 yards. Sykes entered the 2007 campaign as Miami's No. 3 running back. Brandon Murphy began the season as Miami's starter, and paced the RedHawks in rushing vs. Ball State (123 yards) and Minnesota (78 yards). He injured his knee in the game against the Gophers, and had season-ending surgery on Oct. 5. Andre Bratton (Woodbridge, VA) took over for Murphy, but he was injured early in game three vs. Cincinnati. Sykes subbed in for Bratton and was MU's top rusher the next two weeks (76 yards vs. Cincinnati and 29 yards vs. Colorado). Cory Jones (Florence, MS) gained a team-leading 125 yards vs. Syracuse, but was injured on his last carry against the Orange and was forced to sit out the next two games. Sykes re-entered the starting lineup versus Bowling Green and ran for a career-high 124 yards vs. the Falcons. Due to the blow-out, three other young players--redshirt freshman Jamel Miller (Tallmadge) and true freshmen Thomas Merriweather (Florissant, MO) and T.J. Lattimore (Maple Heights)--saw a considerable amount of playing time against BGSU, combining for 118 yards on 27 carries. Sykes got the starting call at Temple, but ultimately gave way to a more productive Jones (40 net yards). Sykes started again at Vanderbilt, but left the game in the second half with an injured ankle. He is listed as questionable for this week's contest versus Buffalo.
THINGS GO BETTER WITH KOKAL: As a starter this season, Mike Kokal (Sr., Warren) is 3-2 (victories over Ball State, Syracuse and Kent State, and losses to Minnesota and Cincinnati). He moved into eighth place on MU's all-time passing yardage list, now totaling 3,173 yards. Only nine other RedHawk quarterbacks have reached 3,000 passing yards during their careers. Kokal is listed as probable for the Buffalo game, and coaches are hopeful that he could return before the end of the regular season.
RAUDABAUGH ADDS TO SEASON NUMBERS: With 212 yards passing against Buffalo, sophomore quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh (Coppell, TX) boosted his season total to 1,506 yards in seven appearances. Raudabaugh, who began the 2007 campaign as Mike Kokal's back-up, has thrown a touchdown pass in each of his last two appearances. Dating back to Sam Ricketts in 1997, a RedHawk QB has now passed for at least 1,500 yards in 11 consecutive seasons. Against Kent State two weeks ago, Raughdabaugh averaged 12.1 yards for each of his 15 offensive plays (182 total yards), the best single-game effort among all MAC players in 2007. Career-wise, Raughdabaugh has 1,797 passing yards and nine touchdown passes.
QUARTERBACK DUO: Together, Daniel Raudabaugh and Mike Kokal have passed for 2,121 yards and nine touchdowns during the 2007 season. As a team, Miami has passed for at least 2,000 yards every year since 1999. Nearly 20 percent of their total yardage came in game two at Minnesota when they totaled 418 passing yards, the fourth-best all-time single-game mark in Miami history. The only three performances that exceeded that effort were all by former RedHawk great Ben Roethlisberger (525 yards vs. Northern Illinois in 2002, 452 yards vs. Hawaii in 2001, and 440 yards vs. Bowling Green in 2003). As either the head coach or the offensive coordinator, Miami's Shane Montgomery has had a direct hand in the school's top 13 single-game passing efforts. Career-wise, the Raughdabaugh-Kokal twosome has passed for 4,970 yards and 24 touchdowns.
BELTON READY FOR DUTY: For the fourth week in a row, true freshman quarterback Clay Belton (Dayton) is listed No. 2 on Miami's depth chart. Belton was a first-team all-Ohio signal-caller at Dayton's Northmont High School. He has not yet appeared in any Miami's games.
MIAMI'S RECEIVERS: Eighteen different RedHawk receivers have caught passes through the first nine games of 2007. Ten of those 18 players have recorded their first collegiate receptions this season. Over the past four games, Miami receivers have caught 83 passes and averaged an impressive 12.9 yards per grab. Among the 83 catches have been 11 receptions of 22 yards or more, including gains of 73, 54, 49 43 and two 40-yard catches. Eugene Harris (Atlanta, GA) has a team-leading 31 catches for 390 yards and one TD. The team's next most-frequent receivers are Dustin Woods (So., Cincinnati) with 26 catches for 373 yards and Armand Robinson (R-Fr., Reynoldsburg) with 22 receptions for 340 yards. True freshman Chris Givens (Chillicothe) averages a team-high 17.8 yards for each of his 17 catches.
GIVENS TOPS TEAM IN YARDS PER CATCH: Chris Givens (Fr., Chillicothe) had receptions of 55 yards (vs. Minnesota), 39 yards (vs. Cincinnati) and 34 yards (vs. Kent State). Earlier this season against Minnesota, Givens became only the second true freshman receiver in Miami football history to crack the century mark for yardage (five catches for 112 yards).
RETURN TO ROCKY TOP: Miami quarterback turned receiver Jared Elliott (Jr., Franklin, TN) returned to his home state last Saturday and enjoyed the most successful day of his career: four catches for 25 yards. Prior to the Vanderbilt game, Elliott had caught only two passes for 45 yards. He had a 35-yard reception at Colorado this season, his first-ever collegiate catch. That single gain comprised 25.1 percent of Miami's total offensive yardage (139) against the Buffaloes.
TIGHT END TOTALS: Among Miami's receivers, three junior tight ends have accounted for 20 receptions. Tom Crabtree (Carroll), Jake O'Connell (Naples, FL) and Pat Shepard (Pittsburgh, PA) average 11.0 yards per catch.
MAC-GAME STATS: Through their four Mid-American Conference games (vs. Ball State, Kent State, Bowling Green and Temple), the 3-1 RedHawks are ... *Out-scoring their opponents, 98 to 64 *Out-passing their opponents, 979 yards to 858 yards *Out-rushing their opponents, 597 yards to 478 yards
TWO-THIRDS, ONE-THIRD: Of Miami's 3,289 total offensive yards through nine games, 2,121 yards (64.5 percent) have come via the passing game.
577-YARD PERFORMANCE SIXTH-BEST: Miami's 577 yards of total offense vs. Minnesota ranks sixth-best in the school's record book. The all-time record offensive explosion came in 2003 vs. Kent State when Miami piled up 648 yards. Five of the top six single-game total offensive efforts have come with Shane Montgomery as either the head coach or offensive coordinator. The 1,154 cumulative yards of total offense by Miami (577 yards) and Minnesota (577 yards) rank as the second-most in MU single-game history. It was just seven yards shy of the all-time mark of 1,161 yards piled up by Miami (616 yards) and Hawaii (545 yards) in 2001. The 1,154 total yards by Miami and Minnesota is sixth-best in the MAC record books. The all-time Mid-American Conference single-game record for total offense by two teams is 1,245 yards by Bowling Green (618) and Northwestern (624).
FRONT-LINE WARRIORS: Three postseason award candidates--left tackle Charlie Norden (Sr., Dublin), left guard Dave DiFranco (Jr., LaGrange) and center Steve Meister (Sr., Allison Park, PA)--have been stalwarts in Miami's offensive effort. DiFranco split time between right and left tackle a year ago, and Meister played the last two seasons at left guard. MU's offensive line was decimated by injuries a year ago, but has remained healthy and intact throughout the 2007 campaign. Norden grades out at 83 percent, has 43 knockdowns and seven pins, and has missed only one assignment in more than 600 plays. DiFranco has an 82 percent grade, 48 knockdowns, only two missed assignments, and has not allowed a single sack. Meister, who has started 33 consecutive games, has an efficiency grade of 85 percent, has only one missed assignment, and has not committed a penalty all season.
MIAMI'S DEFENSE: 14 POINTS OR LESS EQUALS 4-0: It has been a very simple equation. In all four Miami victories, the RedHawks have allowed 14 points or less (13.5 ppg). In Miami's five losses, opponents are averaging 35.6 points per contest.
MIAMI LEADS MAC IN SCORING DEFENSE: Miami tops the MAC in scoring defense, allowing 25.8 points per game through nine contests. Through four conference games, the RedHawks have yielded an average of just 16.8 points.
MIAMI DEFENSE HAS STIFFENED: Since three straight games of yielding more than 40 points (41 to Minnesota, 47 to Cincinnati, and 42 to Colorado), Miami's defense has yielded an average of only 17.8 points per game over its last five contests.
MULLINIZED: Junior linebacker Clayton Mullins, who registered a career-high-tying 15 tackles at Vanderbilt, needs only six more stops to reach the century mark this season. His 94 total stops (46 solos, 48 assists) lead the team. Mullins, an All-MAC candidate, is tied for 16th nationally, and is one of only 38 NCAA Division I players to average in double-digit tackles. Mullins had 91 tackles during the entire 2006 season. He is just 11 tackles shy of 200 stops for his career.
DON'T CROSS THE HUDSON: Junior middle linebacker and tri-captain Joey Hudson (Piqua) continued his amazing comeback, racking up 14 tackles at Vanderbilt. Twice he's earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors (vs. Kent State and vs. Bowling Green). Hudson, who suffered a knee injury at Minnesota and whose availability for the balance of the season was very much in question, got back in the starting lineup against Colorado. A member of the Butkus Award's "Watch List" and the Rotary Lombardi Award's "Watch List", Hudson now has 71 tackles for the year and shares the team lead with two interceptions.
CAUSTIC BOSTIC: Caleb Bostic ranks third among Miami players with 69 tackles. In his first collegiate start, he registered a season-high 17 tackles in the season opener at Ball State game.
MAC TACKLERS: Junior outside linebacker Clayton Mullins (Fairborn) ranks third among all MAC defensive players with 10.4 tackles per game (94 total). Sophomore outside linebacker Caleb Bostic (Galloway), who sat out the Vanderbilt game due to an injury, is tied for 11th among MAC statistical leaders with 68 stops in eight games.
GAFFORD RANKS 10TH AMONG MAC's DB TACKLERS: Sophomore free safety Jordan Gafford (Columbus) continued to build upon his statistics last week, notching nine tackles at Vanderbilt. He has 65 total tackles through nine games, tops among the team's defensive backs and 10th among the league's DBs. Only two MAC defensive backs have more solo tackles than Gafford. In game two at Minnesota, he led all Miami defenders with 13 tackles, including 10 solo tackles.
MR. WILSON: Junior apache (strong safety) Robbie Wilson (Cincinnati), an All-MAC candidate, has 62 total tackles through the first nine games of 2007, ranking fifth on the team behind Clayton Mullins (94), Joey Hudson (71), Caleb Bostic (69) and Jordan Gafford (65). He now totals 130 career tackles.
SUPER-SUB SHULA: Junior linebacker Chris Shula (Cooper City, FL), who started at outside linebacker at Vanderbilt in place of Caleb Bostic, had a career-high 14 tackles against the Commodores. The grandson of NFL Hall of Fame coach Don Shula has 45 tackles through nine games, nearly twice as many as the 25 he accumulated throughout the 2006 season.
THOMPSON TOUGH IN THE CLUTCH: Sophomore cornerback Jeff Thompson (Worthington) continues to be one of Miami's best defensive backs, and is the RedHawks' co-leader with two interceptions. Thompson's best game came at Colorado where he had a career-best five solo tackles. Four of his five stops came on third-down plays by the Buffaloes.
MIAMI'S SPECIAL TEAMS: RICHARDSON FIFTH IN NCAA STATS: Junior punter JAKE RICHARDSON (Oxford) ranks fifth in the latest NCAA statistics with an average of 45.82 yards per punt (50 attempts). Just ahead of Miami's postseason award candidate are Ball State's Chris Miller (46.77), Cincinnati's Kevin Huber (46.69) Toledo's Brett Kern (46.23), and Virginia's Ryan Weigand (46.00). Richardson's current 2007 average is nearly a yard better than Miami's single-season record of 45.0 ypp by Gary Layton in 1994. Over the last six games, Richardson's punting average is 46.9 yards (35 for 1,641 yards). Twenty of Richardson 50 punts have traveled 50 yards or more, including boomers of 64 yards and 62 yards. Richardson's career punting average at Miami of 41.8 yards per punt on 149 punts is slightly better than Layton's school record of 41.7 yards per punt (1991-94).
THE LATEST RETURNS: Miami punt returners rank second among all Mid-American Conference teams with an average run-back of 12.4 yards. Eugene Harris (Fr., Atlanta, GA) ranks second among all MAC players with an average of 12.8 yards per punt return (17 for 218 yards). He ranks 22nd in the NCAA punt return statistics.
TRUE FRESHMAN PAIR HANDLES KICK RETURNS: True freshmen Jamal Rogers (Fort Myers, FL) and Chris Givens (Chillicothe) make up Miami's kick return tandem. Rogers is averaging 21.5 yards per return (28 attempts) while Givens has returned three kicks an average of 17.0 yards.
PARSEGHIAN CONTINUES AS REDHAWK PLACEKICKER: Junior placekicker NATE PARSEGHIAN (Sylvania) got a chance to play at Kent State four weeks ago and has been in the line-up ever since. Over the past three games, "Par" has connected on six of his eight field goal attempts and has also has been successful on 10 consecutive PAT attempts. He is Miami's leading scorer with 28 points. Nate is the great grandnephew of college coaching luminary and Miami graduate Ara Parseghian.
COOK A GROZA CANDIDATE: Trevor Cook (So., Sioux Falls, SD) has made five of his 10 field-goal attempts this season and has converted eight of nine PAT tries. He ranks second in team scoring with 23 points.
SPECIAL TEAMS GIVE REDHAWKS CHANCE IN THRILLING COMEBACK: Miami's special teams put the RedHawks in a position to forge a dramatic comeback at Temple. After a late touchdown strike with just over a minute to play, sophomore kicker Trevor Cook had a picture perfect on-side kick, which the RedHawks recovered on the Miami 43-yard line and resulted in a junior kicker Nathan Parseghian 33-yard field goal with nine seconds to play. Cook again delivered with an on-side kick that went 11 yards and was recovered by Miami. A penalty forced the RedHawks to re-kick, but Cook continued to assault the Owl special team's unit as he had another on-side kick of 10 yards recovered by the RedHawks on the Miami 33-yard line with four seconds remaining. Miami had one last chance to potentially tie the game, which fell short on a hail mary pass that was intercepted to end the game.
REDHAWKS' INJURY REPORT: Mickey Mann (injured knee vs. Syracuse), out for season ... Andre Bratton (injured knee vs. Cincinnati), out for season... Brandon Murphy (injured knee vs. Minnesota), out for season ... Matt McKeown (injured shoulder vs. Ball State), out for season ... Mike Kokal (injured knee vs. Kent State), probable for Buffalo game ... Ben Huddle (injured knee vs. Kent State), out for season ... Ryan Kennedy (injured knee vs. Temple), doubtful for Buffalo ... NICK DeBARTALO (injured knee vs. Bowling Green), questionable for Buffalo ... Caleb Bostic (injured hip vs. Temple), probable for Buffalo ... Dave DiFranco (injured ankle vs. Vanderbilt), questionable for Buffalo ... Austin Sykes (injured ankle vs. Vanderbilt), questionable for Buffalo ... Peris Edwards (injured shoulder vs. Vanderbilt), questionable for Buffalo.
