Nov. 16, 2011
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OXFORD, Ohio-- After a record-breaking performance against Temple last week, sophomore wide receiver Nick Harwell broke yet another Miami record Wednesday night at Yager Stadium against Western Michigan. By recording 138 yards on 14 catches, Harwell notched his eighth 100-yard receiving game of the season, breaking Martin Nance's record for most 100-yard receiving games in a single season.
Junior quarterback Zac Dysert found himself in the record books after the game as well, completing 42 passes to eclipse Ben Roethlisberger's previous record of 40 against Hawai'i in 2001.
Miami's (4-7, 3-4 MAC) aerial assault was not enough, however, as the RedHawks fell to Western Michigan (6-5, 4-3 MAC), 24-21.
Miami had the first offensive drive of the game, and Dysert led the RedHawks down to the Western Michigan 4-yard line. Miami was unable to capitalize, however, and a missed field goal gave the ball to Western Michigan deep it its own territory. Dysert was 8-of-8 for 53 yards on the drive, including four completions to senior wide receiver Chris Givens.
Miami stopped the Broncos on fourth down and took the ball over at its own 20-yard line. The drive came to a halt, however, after Harwell fumbled at the end of a 13-yard reception to give Western Michigan the ball back near midfield.
The RedHawks forced a three-and-out after the Harwell fumble, and the Bronco punt on fourth down ended the scoreless first quarter.
The subsequent Miami drive ended in a 2-yard touchdown reception by Harwell, his sixth score of the season. Krysinski nailed the extra point to make the score 7-0. The touchdown pass was Dysert's 20th of the season and the 45th of his career, leaving him alone in fourth place on Miami's career passing touchdown list.
Western Michigan answered with a scoring drive of its own when quarterback Alex Carder connected with wide receiver Jordan White on a 19-yard touchdown pass threaded between two Miami defenders. The successful extra point by kicker by John Potter tied the game at 7-7. The extra point was Potter's 308th career point, a new Western Michigan record. He finished the game with 313 career points.
The RedHawks continued their aerial dominance on their next drive, eventually scoring on a magnificent one-handed touchdown catch by Harwell to make the score 14-7 with 4:21 remaining in the first half. Givens had two catches for 19 yards on the drive, pushing him to 11 receptions and 112 receiving yards on the game.
Miami made a huge defensive stop on the next Bronco possession when senior safety Anthony Kokal tackled Brian Fields for a 3-yard loss on a Western Michigan fourth-and-one to force a turnover on downs.
After a RedHawk punt, Western Michigan had a little over a minute to close the seven-point gap. The Bronco offense, led by Carder, picked up the pace, nickel and diming its way to the Miami 18-yard line where Potter nailed a 35-yard field goal to end the first half. After two quarters, Miami led 14-10.
Both quarterbacks played excellent in the first half, going a combined 43-of-56 for 429 yards and all three first-half touchdowns.
Western Michigan came out firing to start the third quarter, completing an eight-play, 66-yard drive that ended in a Carder touchdown pass to Ansel Ponder from 8 yards out, giving the Broncos a 17-14 lead.
On Miami's next drive, Harwell grabbed two balls for 23 yards, giving him 10 receptions on the night. This marked only the second time in program history that Miami had two players with at least 10 receptions in a single game. The other occurrence came against Cincinnati in 2009.
On Western Michigan's next drive, junior safety Pat Hinkel intercepted a Carder pass and returned it to the Miami 47-yard line, setting up the RedHawks with fantastic field position. Two plays later, however, Dysert threw an interception of his own, giving the Broncos a short field to work with.
The third quarter ended with the Broncos on Miami's 2-yard line. Ten seconds into the fourth quarter Western Michigan struck again, this time a touchdown pass from Carder to Robert Arnheim to extend the Broncos' lead to 24-14.
On the following drive, Dysert connected with Harwell for a 23-yard gain, giving Harwell 108 yards on the night and marking his eighth 100-yard receiving game of the season, breaking Martin Nance's Miami record of seven such games.
After Harwell's record-breaking reception, the Western Michigan defense caught fire, sacking Dysert four times in the next ten plays, costing the RedHawks 28 yards.
With three minutes left in the game, Dysert connected with Harwell in the end zone yet again, this time for 24 yards to make the score 24-21 in favor of Western Michigan. Miami lined up for an onside kick, but opted to squib it instead, and the Broncos took over at their own 26-yard line. The RedHawks failed to stop Western Michigan in the final minutes of the game, giving the Broncos a 24-21 victory.
Harwell ended the night with 14 catches for 138 yards and all three Miami touchdowns. Givens hauled in 13 catches and 141 yards, both of which are career highs. Dysert racked up 413 passing yards, completing 42 of his 54 pass attempts for three touchdowns and an interception.
On the other side of the ball, Kokal led all defenders with 11 tackles, as well as recording a sack and a forced fumble. Junior defensive lineman Jason Semmes and senior defensive tackle Austin Brown each registered a sack as well.
Miami plays its season finale Tuesday, Nov. 22 on the road, taking on the Ohio Bobcats at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
