Oct. 30, 2010
Final Stats | Notes
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BUFFALO, N.Y. - Sophomore Zac Dysert and true freshman Nick Harwell connected for two passing touchdowns in the first half and Thomas Merriweather rushed for another score late, leading Miami to a 21-9 wind-swept victory over Buffalo Saturday afternoon at UB Stadium. With the win, the 5-4 RedHawks move into a three-way tie for first place in the Mid-American Conference East Division.
Dysert finished the game 21 of 36 for 231 yards, 97 of which went to Harwell. Merriweather rushed for 61 yards on 19 attempts.
Miami opened the scoring with 7:40 left in the first. Dysert connected with Harwell on a slant pass, capping a five-play, 48-yard drive. The five-yard pass continued a string of recent success for the true freshman, who now has 35 catches for 475 yards in the last four games.
The RedHawks increased their lead to 14-0 shortly before intermission on a one-handed grab by Harwell. The 29-yard completion from Dysert.to the corner of the endzone capped an eight-play, 54-yard drive that lasted 2:08. The series started after C.J. March forced Alex Zordich into a fumble on a third-down run.
Miami dodged a bullet on the ensuing kickoff when replays confirmed that Ed Young stepped out of bounds on his way to a 68-yard return to the endzone.
Buffalo (2-6, 1-3) responded with the wind during the third quarter. The Bulls put their first points on the board with a 52-yard field goal by John Rachuna, the longest in their FBS history. They added a touchdown with 56 seconds left in the period when Zordich scrambled around left end. But the extra point hit the upright, leaving the score 14-9 at the break.
Dysert set up the RedHawks' next score with a 40-yard pass to Chris Givens that was ruled out of bounds at the Buffalo 2. On the ensuing play, Merriweather rambled in for Miami's first rushing touchdown in four games.
Miami's defense held Buffalo to 265 yards in total offense, registering a season-high five sacks. Jerrell Wedge had a season-high 12 tackles, the sixth time in his career he has topped double figures.
The RedHawks finished with 297 yards of offense, including 66 on the ground.
Miami gets its first Saturday of the season off next weekend, preparing for a mid-week contest Nov. 10 at Bowling Green.
