Sept. 17, 2011
Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery 
MINNEAPOLIS--A dramatic finish came up just short as Miami University's football team was edged by Minnesota, 29-23, on Saturday afternoon at TCF Bank Stadium. With the final seconds ticking off the clock and needing a touchdown to tie and an extra point to win, senior wide receiver Chris Givens went up for the catch in the end zone from junior quarterback Zac Dysert, but the pass was broken up as the Golden Gophers escaped Miami's late rally.
There has been no shortage of dramatic finishes in the series between Miami and Minnesota. The last time the teams met on Sept. 8, 2007, the game went into triple overtime with Minnesota inching out the win on the final play of the game.
Despite boasting the first and last scoring drives of the game, Miami was unable to overcome two Golden Gopher fourth quarter touchdowns. The win was Minnesota's (1-2) first of the season, while Miami dropped to 0-2.
Dysert completed 27-of-47 passes for 325 yards, including two touchdowns and one interception. It was the seventh 300-yard passing game of his career, and he moved into fifth place on Miami's career passing list. Dysert now has 5,536 career passing yards.
Sophomore wide receiver Nick Harwell hauled in 12 receptions for 162 yards. His 12 catches tie Eddie Tilltiz (2001 at Hawaii) for fourth on Miami's single-game reception chart, and it was his third 100-yard receiving game.
Senior safety Anthony Kokal led all players with 13 tackles, while senior linebacker Jerrell Wedge added 12 tackles, including four solo stops and one pass break up for the RedHawks.
Miami took a quick 3-0 lead at 12:02 following a seven-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter on a 22-yard field goal by sophomore Mason Krysinski. It was Krysinski's first field goal of his career. The score was set up by a season-long 66-yard reception by Harwell. Dysert hit him down the middle and Harwell scampered down the south sideline to the Minnesota 9-yard line.
Minnesota started on its own 15 on its opening drive and moved the ball to the Miami 16-yard line over the next four plays. Facing a third-and-one situation on their own 16, senior defensive end Will Diaz and the RedHawk defense halted DaJon McKnight's rush at the line of scrimmage for no gain to force a Minnesota field goal attempt. The Golden Gophers converted a 33-yarder with 8:37 remaining in the first quarter to even the score, 3-3.
In the second quarter, the Golden Gophers scored on back-to-back possessions to capture a 10-point lead. A 4-yard run to complete a 10-play, 80-yard drive by Minnesota gave the Golden Gophers a 10-3 advantage with 14:31 to play in the first half. Chris Hawthorne converted his second field goal, a 19-yard attempt, at the 9:30 mark of the second quarter to extend Minnesota's lead to 13-3.
Miami closed the gap to three points with a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Erik Finklea and an extra point from Krysinski with 19 seconds remaining in the opening half to cap a 65-yard drive. A 31-yard reception by Givens from Dysert that placed Miami on the Minnesota 28-yard line spurred the scoring drive for the RedHawks. Facing fourth-and-one on the 5-yard line, Miami went for it and kept the drive alive on a Finklea 2-yard rush. Miami got the ball down to the 1-yard line and on third down in the waning second of the half Finklea stretched his arm over the goal line for the score, sending Miami into the half trailing 13-10.
Minnesota opened up the second-half scoring. After the Golden Gophers got the ball down to the Miami 5-yard line, Diaz came up with a 1-yard tackle-for-loss on second down that was followed by a sack for a 3-yard loss by junior defensive lineman Wes Williams and Wedge. Minnesota settled for a 26-yard field goal to push its lead to 16-10 with 8:32 remaining in the third quarter.
On the following drive, Dysert connected with Harwell on a 32-yard pass to the Minnesota 8-yard line to help set up a game-tying touchdown. Dysert hit Givens with a 7-yard pass in the end zone for the score with 5:24 remaining to cap the 77-yard drive. Looking to take a one-point lead, Miami was unable to get a clean snap to set up the extra point leaving the game knotted, 16-16.
A 1-yard touchdown pass from MarQueis Gray to John Rabe and a Hawthorne extra point that completed a 12-play, 60-yard drive gave Minnesota the lead back with 14:23 remaining, 23-16. Minnesota blocked a RedHawk punt and took it into the end zone for a touchdown to add to its advantage. The PAT was no good, and the Golden Gophers held a 29-16 lead with 10:23 remaining.
Dysert completed six passes, including a 22-yard throw to freshman wide receiver Dawan Scott to ignite the 80-yard, eight-play drive and 26-yard touchdown strike to Scott to ice the possession, to pull Miami within six points of the Golden Gophers with 7:49 remaining after a Krysinski PAT, 29-23.
Austin Brown put great pressure on Minnesota's quarterback and forced him to throw it away in a fourth-and-nine situation, giving the Miami offense got the ball back on its own 34-yardline with 2:53 left for one last drive. The RedHawks marched 46 yards in 11 plays over the final minutes to get down to the Minnesota 20-yard line, but two incomplete passes as time expired ended the RedHawks' surge.
Miami amassed 405 yards of total offense to Minnesota's 399. The Golden Gophers gained 236 yards on the ground and 163 in the air. Gray rushed for 171 yards, while passing for 163 yards and one touchdown for the Golden Gophers.
Miami hosts Bowling Green next Saturday in its home opener and its Mid-American Conference opener. The teams battle at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 at Yager Stadium.
