Miami Edged at Central Michigan, 34-27
11/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.--In a nail-biting finish, the Miami University football team took it down to the wire but came up just short, falling at Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon, 34-27.
It was a back-and-forth battle throughout the entire game. The Chippewas (7-4; 5-2 Mid-American Conference) scored the go-ahead touchdown with 10:03 to go in the fourth quarter on a 9-yard pass from Cooper Rush to Titus Davis.
Senior defensive back Quinten Rollins picked off a crucial pass with 7:43 to go, but Miami (2-9; 2-5 MAC) fumbled the ball with 6:03 remaining and the Chippewas recovered. CMU did not score on the series and punted to the RedHawks, but not before eating up just over four minutes of time. The RedHawks took over with 1:52 to go and drove to the 1-yard line but were unable to put points on the board.
With under 30 seconds to play and Miami on the CMU 14-yard line, the Chippewas were flagged for pass interference on two successive plays, moving the ball to the 1-yard line and giving Miami a first down. Senior quarterback Andrew Hendrix was sacked on the next play for a loss of 8 yards. Miami called a timeout with 10 seconds remaining, facing second-and-goal from the 9-yardline. After two quick incomplete passes, Miami called its final timeout with two seconds left. Facing what looked to be its final play, Miami threw another incomplete pass as time expired, but the Chippewas again interfered on the pass, moving the ball to the 2-yard line and allowing the RedHawks one more chance to score. With no time remaining, Hendrix’s throw to freshman wide receiver Sam Martin was incomplete as the Chippewas escaped with the win.
The RedHawks amassed 471 yards of total offense with senior quarterback Andrew Hendrix amassing 369 yards passing and sophomore wide receiver Rokeem Williams racking up 121 receiving yards on seven catches. Sophomore defensive back Heath Harding led all players with 14 tackles.
The Chippewas were the first to put points on the board, as Rush hit Davis on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 3:53 to go in the opening quarter. Brian Eavey’s extra point gave CMU an early 7-0 lead.
Miami drove the ball down to the 1-yard line, but settled for a field goal after an 8-yard loss on third down. Junior kicker Kaleb Patterson drilled the 26-yard field goal at the 11:12 mark of the second quarter to give Miami its first points of the game and close the gap to 7-3.
After a solid defensive effort on the next CMU drive, Miami started its series on the 50-yard line. Hendrix found senior tight end Alex Welch on a 22-yard pass on the first play of the drive. On the following play, Hendrix connected with senior wide receiver David Frazier on a 28-yard touchdown pass at the 8:09 mark of the second quarter. Patterson hit the PAT to lift Miami to a 10-7 lead.
Central Michigan reclaimed the lead with 2:10 to go in the first half when Rush completed another TD pass to Davis, this one a 6-yard reception. The extra point was no good, leaving the Chippewas leading, 13-10.
With just over two minutes to go, Miami made quick work of its final drive of the half, which started on its own 18-yard line. Senior running back Dawan Scott broke loose for a 25-yard rush, and Hendrix hooked up with Welch on a 22-yard pass to help Miami move the ball to the CMU 10-yard line. With five ticks left on the clock in the opening half, Patterson booted a 41-yard field goal to knot the game 13-13 heading into the break.
Central Michigan went back on top 20-13 with a 2-yard carry into the end zone by Devon Spalding at 6:44 in the third quarter. Miami countered just minutes later when Hendrix connected with sophomore wide receiver Jared Murphy on a 9-yard touchdown at the 4:18 mark. Patterson’s extra point tied things up again, 20-20. That was short-lived, however, as Spalding scored on a 51-yard rushing touchdown with 3:08 remaining in the third quarter. Eavey’s extra point put Chippewas back on top, 27-20.
Miami again tied things up with 13:31 to go in the game when Murphy ran into the end zone form 10 yards out. The Patterson PAT made it 27-27. Central Michigan went ahead for good on the next drive, going 70 yards on seven plays with Davis scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 9-yard catch with 10:03 to go.
CMU finished with 427 yards of total offense. Cooper had 218 yards through the air, Davis notched 102 receiving yards and Spalding tallied 147 yards on the ground.
The RedHawks return home for their final game of 2014, hosting long-time rival Ohio in a Battle of the Bricks game at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25. Prior to the game, Miami will honor its seniors playing their last game at Yager Stadium.
