Sept. 26, 2009

Final Stats | Notes

KENT, Ohio - On a rainy Saturday night at Dix Stadium, Miami redshirt freshman quarterback Zac Dysert, making his first-career start, combined for 444 total yards and the RedHawks more than doubled Kent State's total yardage, but turnovers doomed Miami as it fell, 29-19, to the Golden Flashes.

The RedHawks (0-4, 0-2 Mid-American Conference) totaled 552 yards, their most since Sept. 8, 2007 at Minnesota (577), while limiting KSU (2-2, 1-0 MAC) to 250, the lowest by a Miami foe this season, including just 77 through the air, but five turnovers and a blocked punt proved to be too much to overcome. The Red and White doubled the Flashes in first downs as well, 26-13.

Dysert (Ada, Ohio) finished 31-for-53 for 337 passing yards, the most by a Miami quarterback since 2006, while also rushing for 107 yards on 17 carries, all of which were career highs. Redshirt junior wide receiver Armand Robinson (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) hauled in a career-high-tying nine passes for a career-best 115 yards, while senior wideout Dustin Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio) nabbed six passes for 84 yards. Senior tailback Andre Bratton (Woodbridge, Va.) added 68 yards on the ground on 12 carries for the RedHawks. Jacquis Terry led Kent State with 103 rushing yards on 15 carries.

Miami marched down the field on its opening possession, earning a first-and-goal, but was unable to punch it in so redshirt junior Trevor Cook (Sioux Falls, S.D.) booted a 28-yard field goal to give the 'Hawks their first lead in a game since Nov. 11, 2008 against Ball State. The lead wouldn't last long however, as Anthony Bowman returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown to put the Flashes on top 6-3, as the extra point was wide left.

The RedHawks again drove the field, aided by a 48-yard connection from Dysert to redshirt junior receiver Eugene Harris (Atlanta, Ga.), but a fumble on the Kent State 5-yard line prevented Miami from regaining the lead. KSU then used an eight-play, 95-yard drive to make it 13-3. Dri Archer scored the touchdown on a 28-yard scamper, as the Golden Flashes used a trick play--faking a sweep to the right while Archer held the ball and then ran to the left.

Another RedHawk fumble handed the ball to the Flashes inside the Miami 40-yard line, but the Miami defense held strong and stopped a fake field goal to prevent Kent State from adding to its lead. KSU blocked the RedHawks' punt on their next possession and turned that into a three points with a 37-yard field goal by Freddy Cortez for a 16-3 KSU advantage.

After the Flashes added another field goal, Miami answered with a 12-play, 78-yard drive in just over two minutes that was capped with a 9-yard touchdown reception by junior Jamal Rogers (Ft. Myers, Fla.) from Dysert with just four ticks left in the first half to make it a 19-10 contest at the break.

Dysert accounted for 209 of Miami's 274 first-half yards (48 on the ground and 161 through the air), while the RedHawks' defense limited Kent State to just 146 total yards, despite trailing by nine. KSU had just 22 passing yards in the first half, as the Flashes attempted only five passes.

After Miami was stopped on fourth-and-one midway through the third quarter, Kent State went to the air on the next play and scored on a 56-yard touchdown pass to push the margin to 16. The 'Hawks responded however, with a touchdown of their own--a 1-yard plunge by junior running back Thomas Merriweather (Florissant, Mo.)--after Dysert drove Miami 81 yards over 11 plays with all of the yardage coming through the air except the final eight. The two-point conversion failed to keep Miami down 10 at 26-16.

Cook tacked on a 43-yard field goal with 5:45 remaining to get within a touchdown, but KSU responded with a 34-yard field goal of its own to bump its lead back to double digits and seal the 29-19 victory.

The RedHawks return to action next Saturday, Oct. 3, for their first "true" home game of the season when they host the 14th-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats for the "Battle of the Bell." Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at Yager Stadium.

--MURedHawks.com--