Oct. 24, 2009
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OXFORD, Ohio--Miami University scored 15 of its 22 points in the fourth quarter and closed within one score twice on Northern Illinois (4-3; 2-1 Mid-American Conference) in the final stanza, but the Huskies pulled out the 27-22 win at Yager Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Zac Dysert amassed a career-high 348 yards passing, connecting on 27-of-37 pass attempts while throwing a career-best three touchdown strikes. Junior wide receiver Armand Robinson also had a career high with 123 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
For the first time this season, the RedHawks (0-8; 0-4 MAC) had no turnovers. Coming into the game, Miami had committed no less than two turnovers in each game this season. It is the first time since Oct. 18, 2008 at Bowling Green--the RedHawks' last win--that Miami has not committed a turnover.
The Huskies pounced quickly, compiling 17 points in the first quarter off a Chad Spann 42-yard run, a Mike Salerno 44-yard field goal and a Perez Ashford 44-yard punt return. It appeared that the second quarter would be scoreless for both teams, but Dysert hit Robinson for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining and junior kicker Trevor Cook added the extra point to cut the gap to 10 points, 17-7, heading into the half.
Neither team was able to put points on the board in the third quarter. Miami further shrunk the gap early in the fourth quarter when Cook hit a 32-yard field goal at the 12:49 mark to put Miami within a touchdown, 17-10. NIU's Salerno kicked a 25-yard field goal with 6:14 to play to extend the Huskie lead to 20-10.
With 1:58 remaining, Dysert hit junior Jamal Rogers with a 4-yard touchdown pass, but the kick was blocked putting the RedHawks within four points, 20-16. A minute later, Spann scored on a 40-yard run, and the Salerno PAT pushed the Huskie lead to 27-16.
Despite the clock winding down, Miami mustered a 24-yard touchdown pass from Dysert to Robinson, their second of the day, as time expired. Because the extra point would not have changed the outcome of the game, it was not kicked making the final score 27-22.
Miami compiled 337 yards of total offense to NIU's 262 yards, with 348 RedHawk yards coming in the air and Miami having negative rushing yardage for the first time since 2005.
Defensively, junior linebacker Jerrell Wedge had a game-high nine tackles. Coming into the game, freshman defensive back Justin Bowers had just five tackles on the season. Bowers amassed a career-high eight tackles, a sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble that Miami recovered.
Miami returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 31 when the RedHawks host the University of Toledo Rockets at 3:30 p.m.
