RedHawks Host Akron Tuesday Night on ESPN2
11/3/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 3, 2017
This Week's Matchup
Miami University and the Akron Zips will square-off on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Oxford, Ohio. This contest is Miami's annual Heroes Night, honoring all of those that serve this country.
Television
The matchup with the Zips will be carried live on ESPN2. Kevin Negandhi will handle play-by-play duties and Rocky Boiman will serve as color analyst. Quint Kessenich will handle sideline duties.
Radio
In its 11th year of its partnership with IMG College, the Miami Sports Network continues its coverage of Miami Football with a group of affiliates blanketing most of Southwest Ohio and Southeast Indiana. "The Voice of the RedHawks" Steve Baker will deliver the play-by-play coverage, while Terry Bridge will provide color commentary. Randy Hollowell will be the network's sideline reporter. Tune-in to one of Miami's gameday affiliates:
WMOH-AM 1450 (Hamilton, Ohio)
WFMG-FM 101.3 (Richmond, Ind.)
WDBZ-AM 1230 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
WONE-AM 980 (Dayton, Ohio)
WKBV-AM 1490 and 100.9 FM (Richmond, Ind.)
Need To Know
- Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (682), MAC Championships (15) and bowl wins (7).
About Chuck Martin
- Head coach Chuck Martin, who earned that title on Dec. 3, 2013, brings an impressive resume to Oxford, Ohio.
- Not only was he 74-7 in six years at Grand Valley State (2004-09), he has coached in seven national championship games in the past 16 seasons. Martin has an all-time head coaching record of 88-39.
- He has twice been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of the Year and has been a coordinator on both sides of the ball.
- Martin was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Grand Valley State University on Oct. 23, 2015.
About Akron
Akron is 5-4 overall and leading the MAC East with a 4-1 record. Offensively they average 22.7 points and 331.7 yards per game, while allowing 25.0 points and 444.6 yards on the defensive side of the ball. Quarterback Thomas Woodson has thrown for 1,747 yards and 14 touchdowns and running back Warren Ball has 332 yards and four scores on the ground. Defensively, Ulysees Gilbert leads the way with 84 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions on the season.
Series vs. Akron
Miami is 16-9-1 all-time versus Akron and 10-3-1 all-time versus the Zips at home. The Zips are currently ridding a four-game win streak in the matchup, including a 35-13 victory last season over the RedHawks. Miami's last win over the Zips was a 56-49 win back in 2012. Miami's last home win in the series was in 2011 (35-3).
Lights. Camera. Maction.
Tuesday's tilt with the Zips is the second of four-straight mid-week games for the RedHawks. After Akron, Miami faces Eastern Michigan (Wed., Nov. 15) and Ball State (Tues., Nov. 21).
Ohio Recap
Deadlocked at 28-28 late in the third quarter, rival Ohio scored 17 unanswered points to come away victorious in the Battle of the Bricks.
In the loss, Miami's offense experienced several career bests. Quarterback Billy Bahl threw for three touchdowns and 350 yards - both new highs for the junior. His favorite target was fellow junior James Gardner, whose ten receptions, 166 receiving yards and three touchdowns were not only career highs but the most in a single game by a RedHawk since 2012. His nine touchdowns this season make him the Mid-American Conference leader.
Preseason Honors
Over the past four years, Miami had not received much attention in preseason honors. That has changed in a big way this year. Heath Harding was named to three different watch lists (Bronco Nagurski, Jim Thorpe and Bednarik), Danny Godlevske was honored by the Rimington Trophy, James Gardner earned two awards (Wuerffel and Biletnikoff) and Ryan Smith was named to the John Mackey Watch List.
Roster Breakdown
While Miami's roster is finally starting to trend toward upper-classmen, the youth of this roster is still shocking. Coming into the 2017 season Miami has 124 players on its roster and just 12 seniors. Roster breakdown includes: Sixth-year seniors (1), fifth-year seniors (5), seniors (6), red-shirt juniors (19), juniors (13), red-shirt sophomores (16), sophomores (9), red-shirt freshmen (22) and freshmen (33).
Return to 2016 Form?
Currently at 3-6 overall, Miami will have to reclaim some of its magic from last season if it wants to keep its bowl game opportunities alive. Last year, Miami began the season 0-6 and won its final six games to advance to the St. Petersburg Bowl. The RedHawks were the first team in NCAA history to begin a season 0-6 and finish 6-6.
Taking Its Time
Through eight games this season Miami ranks 13th in the country in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 32:33 per game. Five times this season Miami has surpassed 33 minutes of time of possession and four different times it has held onto the ball for over 35 minutes of play.
Land of No Return
Miami's punt coverage team has allowed just 12 return yards all season. Of Kyle Kramer's 48 punts, just eight have resulted in returns, the longest being 10 yards versus Buffalo. Overall, Miami is allowing 1.2 yards per punt return this season, which ranks sixth in the country.
Gardner Growing
James Gardner has still only played 28 games in his Miami career, but the junior is making his mark on the program. In 2016 he finished as a third-team All-MAC player, with 45 catches for 750 yards and six touchdowns. This season he has 42 catches for 847 yards and nine scores, while averaging 20.2 yards per catch. He currently ranks sixth in the nation in receiving yards, third in receiving touchdowns and 15th in yards per catch. In his career he has 91 grabs, for 1,683 yards and 16 touchdowns.
In Gus We Trust
After beginning last season 0-6, head coach Chuck Martin turned to quarterback Gus Ragland. Ragland led Miami to six straight wins over Kent State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Buffalo and Ball State. The now junior quarterback finished last season, throwing for 1,537 yards, 17 touchdowns and just one interception.
Nice Way to Start a Career
Ragland began his career by throwing 203 consecutive passes before throwing an interception late in the contest versus Mississippi State in the 2016 St. Petersburg Bowl. In all, the Cincinnati, Ohio native has thrown just five interceptions in 388 career pass attempts (1 INT every 77.6 pass attempts). In fact, Miami is 8-0 in games in which Ragland does not throw and interception and 0-5 when he throws it to the other team.
Ragland Timeline
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Verbally commits to Miami on Dec. 13, 2013
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Redshirted the 2014 season and played 86 snaps in 2015.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Suffered an ACL injury in April of 2016 during a spring football practice.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Came back to start versus Kent State on Oct. 15, 2016 and won six straight games and helped Miami reach a bowl game.
Ragland Versus The MAC
Junior quarterback Gus Ragland is 7-1 in his career as a starter versus teams from the Mid-American Conference. In those eight games Ragland has completed 120-194 passes (61.9%) for 1,746 yards, 19 touchdowns and one interception.
Bahl Steps in and Delivers
Filling in for an injured Gus Ragland, junior quarterback Billy Bahl nearly led Miami to a come-from-behind victory over BGSU. Bahl completed 8-of-17 passes for 119 yards and drove the Red and White down to the BGSU 1-yard line before Miami put the ball on the ground for the key turnover. He threw for 177 yards in the win over Buffalo, Miami's first win without Gus Ragland as its starting quarterback since the season finale at UMass in 2015. Lats week at Ohio the junior recorded a career-high 350 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.
Nothing New
If Ragland were to miss any significant time, expect Billy Bahl to fill his shoes nicely. Bahl has made 15 career starts for the Red and White and completed 241-of-484 passes for 3,633 yards and 23 touchdowns in his career. Bahl started Miami's first five games back in 2016, throwing for 1,154 yards and eight touchdowns before suffering an injury.
Small But Carries a Big Stick
Kenny Young may be listed at just 5-foot-7, but he has been a load to bring down to begin the MAC season. In Young's last five MAC games he has averaged 86.6 yards per game on the ground, posting 91 yards and a touchdown at Central Michigan, 113 yards against BGSU, 83 yards at Kent State and 125 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Buffalo. Young was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week following the UB contest.
Record Watch
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Alonzo Smith is closing in on 2,000 career rushing yards, currently sitting at 1,849 yards on the ground. Just 13 Miami players have surpassed 2,000 yards rushing in their career.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Miami has two 3,000 yard passers. Billy Bahl's 3,633 yards passing and Gus Ragland's 3,131 yards passing rank 10th and 12th in the Miami record books.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Miami has four receivers with over 1,000 yards receiving on its roster. Jared Murphy (1,951), James Gardner (1,683), Sam Martin (1,294) and Ryan Smith (1,082).
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Heath Harding is 31 tackles shy of 300 for his career.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Tony Reid has 193 career tackles.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' James Gardner is 153 yards away for 1,000 receiving yards for the season. The last time Miami had 1,000-yard receiver was Nick Harwell (1,425) back in 2011. Gardner is also one receiving touchdown away from 10 this season. The last RedHawk to record double figure receiving touchdowns was Martin Nance (14) back in 2005. The last time a RedHawk had over 1,000 yards receiving and double figure touchdowns in the same season was Nance in 2003 (1,498-11).
Miami RedHawks (3-6, 2-3 MAC) vs. Akron Zips (5-4, 4-1 MAC)
Oxford, Ohio (Yager Stadium)
Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m. - ESPN2
| Watch Live | Game Notes | Listen Live | Purchase Tickets | Gameday Central
This Week's Matchup
Miami University and the Akron Zips will square-off on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Oxford, Ohio. This contest is Miami's annual Heroes Night, honoring all of those that serve this country.
Television
The matchup with the Zips will be carried live on ESPN2. Kevin Negandhi will handle play-by-play duties and Rocky Boiman will serve as color analyst. Quint Kessenich will handle sideline duties.
Radio
In its 11th year of its partnership with IMG College, the Miami Sports Network continues its coverage of Miami Football with a group of affiliates blanketing most of Southwest Ohio and Southeast Indiana. "The Voice of the RedHawks" Steve Baker will deliver the play-by-play coverage, while Terry Bridge will provide color commentary. Randy Hollowell will be the network's sideline reporter. Tune-in to one of Miami's gameday affiliates:
WMOH-AM 1450 (Hamilton, Ohio)
WFMG-FM 101.3 (Richmond, Ind.)
WDBZ-AM 1230 (Cincinnati, Ohio)
WONE-AM 980 (Dayton, Ohio)
WKBV-AM 1490 and 100.9 FM (Richmond, Ind.)
Need To Know
- Miami football ranks first all-time in the Mid-American Conference in wins (682), MAC Championships (15) and bowl wins (7).
About Chuck Martin
- Head coach Chuck Martin, who earned that title on Dec. 3, 2013, brings an impressive resume to Oxford, Ohio.
- Not only was he 74-7 in six years at Grand Valley State (2004-09), he has coached in seven national championship games in the past 16 seasons. Martin has an all-time head coaching record of 88-39.
- He has twice been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Coach of the Year and has been a coordinator on both sides of the ball.
- Martin was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Grand Valley State University on Oct. 23, 2015.
About Akron
Akron is 5-4 overall and leading the MAC East with a 4-1 record. Offensively they average 22.7 points and 331.7 yards per game, while allowing 25.0 points and 444.6 yards on the defensive side of the ball. Quarterback Thomas Woodson has thrown for 1,747 yards and 14 touchdowns and running back Warren Ball has 332 yards and four scores on the ground. Defensively, Ulysees Gilbert leads the way with 84 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions on the season.
Series vs. Akron
Miami is 16-9-1 all-time versus Akron and 10-3-1 all-time versus the Zips at home. The Zips are currently ridding a four-game win streak in the matchup, including a 35-13 victory last season over the RedHawks. Miami's last win over the Zips was a 56-49 win back in 2012. Miami's last home win in the series was in 2011 (35-3).
Lights. Camera. Maction.
Tuesday's tilt with the Zips is the second of four-straight mid-week games for the RedHawks. After Akron, Miami faces Eastern Michigan (Wed., Nov. 15) and Ball State (Tues., Nov. 21).
Ohio Recap
Deadlocked at 28-28 late in the third quarter, rival Ohio scored 17 unanswered points to come away victorious in the Battle of the Bricks.
In the loss, Miami's offense experienced several career bests. Quarterback Billy Bahl threw for three touchdowns and 350 yards - both new highs for the junior. His favorite target was fellow junior James Gardner, whose ten receptions, 166 receiving yards and three touchdowns were not only career highs but the most in a single game by a RedHawk since 2012. His nine touchdowns this season make him the Mid-American Conference leader.
Preseason Honors
Over the past four years, Miami had not received much attention in preseason honors. That has changed in a big way this year. Heath Harding was named to three different watch lists (Bronco Nagurski, Jim Thorpe and Bednarik), Danny Godlevske was honored by the Rimington Trophy, James Gardner earned two awards (Wuerffel and Biletnikoff) and Ryan Smith was named to the John Mackey Watch List.
Roster Breakdown
While Miami's roster is finally starting to trend toward upper-classmen, the youth of this roster is still shocking. Coming into the 2017 season Miami has 124 players on its roster and just 12 seniors. Roster breakdown includes: Sixth-year seniors (1), fifth-year seniors (5), seniors (6), red-shirt juniors (19), juniors (13), red-shirt sophomores (16), sophomores (9), red-shirt freshmen (22) and freshmen (33).
Return to 2016 Form?
Currently at 3-6 overall, Miami will have to reclaim some of its magic from last season if it wants to keep its bowl game opportunities alive. Last year, Miami began the season 0-6 and won its final six games to advance to the St. Petersburg Bowl. The RedHawks were the first team in NCAA history to begin a season 0-6 and finish 6-6.
Taking Its Time
Through eight games this season Miami ranks 13th in the country in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average of 32:33 per game. Five times this season Miami has surpassed 33 minutes of time of possession and four different times it has held onto the ball for over 35 minutes of play.
Land of No Return
Miami's punt coverage team has allowed just 12 return yards all season. Of Kyle Kramer's 48 punts, just eight have resulted in returns, the longest being 10 yards versus Buffalo. Overall, Miami is allowing 1.2 yards per punt return this season, which ranks sixth in the country.
Gardner Growing
James Gardner has still only played 28 games in his Miami career, but the junior is making his mark on the program. In 2016 he finished as a third-team All-MAC player, with 45 catches for 750 yards and six touchdowns. This season he has 42 catches for 847 yards and nine scores, while averaging 20.2 yards per catch. He currently ranks sixth in the nation in receiving yards, third in receiving touchdowns and 15th in yards per catch. In his career he has 91 grabs, for 1,683 yards and 16 touchdowns.
In Gus We Trust
After beginning last season 0-6, head coach Chuck Martin turned to quarterback Gus Ragland. Ragland led Miami to six straight wins over Kent State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Buffalo and Ball State. The now junior quarterback finished last season, throwing for 1,537 yards, 17 touchdowns and just one interception.
Nice Way to Start a Career
Ragland began his career by throwing 203 consecutive passes before throwing an interception late in the contest versus Mississippi State in the 2016 St. Petersburg Bowl. In all, the Cincinnati, Ohio native has thrown just five interceptions in 388 career pass attempts (1 INT every 77.6 pass attempts). In fact, Miami is 8-0 in games in which Ragland does not throw and interception and 0-5 when he throws it to the other team.
Ragland Timeline
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Verbally commits to Miami on Dec. 13, 2013
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Redshirted the 2014 season and played 86 snaps in 2015.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Suffered an ACL injury in April of 2016 during a spring football practice.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Came back to start versus Kent State on Oct. 15, 2016 and won six straight games and helped Miami reach a bowl game.
Ragland Versus The MAC
Junior quarterback Gus Ragland is 7-1 in his career as a starter versus teams from the Mid-American Conference. In those eight games Ragland has completed 120-194 passes (61.9%) for 1,746 yards, 19 touchdowns and one interception.
Bahl Steps in and Delivers
Filling in for an injured Gus Ragland, junior quarterback Billy Bahl nearly led Miami to a come-from-behind victory over BGSU. Bahl completed 8-of-17 passes for 119 yards and drove the Red and White down to the BGSU 1-yard line before Miami put the ball on the ground for the key turnover. He threw for 177 yards in the win over Buffalo, Miami's first win without Gus Ragland as its starting quarterback since the season finale at UMass in 2015. Lats week at Ohio the junior recorded a career-high 350 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.
Nothing New
If Ragland were to miss any significant time, expect Billy Bahl to fill his shoes nicely. Bahl has made 15 career starts for the Red and White and completed 241-of-484 passes for 3,633 yards and 23 touchdowns in his career. Bahl started Miami's first five games back in 2016, throwing for 1,154 yards and eight touchdowns before suffering an injury.
Small But Carries a Big Stick
Kenny Young may be listed at just 5-foot-7, but he has been a load to bring down to begin the MAC season. In Young's last five MAC games he has averaged 86.6 yards per game on the ground, posting 91 yards and a touchdown at Central Michigan, 113 yards against BGSU, 83 yards at Kent State and 125 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Buffalo. Young was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week following the UB contest.
Record Watch
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Alonzo Smith is closing in on 2,000 career rushing yards, currently sitting at 1,849 yards on the ground. Just 13 Miami players have surpassed 2,000 yards rushing in their career.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Miami has two 3,000 yard passers. Billy Bahl's 3,633 yards passing and Gus Ragland's 3,131 yards passing rank 10th and 12th in the Miami record books.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Miami has four receivers with over 1,000 yards receiving on its roster. Jared Murphy (1,951), James Gardner (1,683), Sam Martin (1,294) and Ryan Smith (1,082).
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Heath Harding is 31 tackles shy of 300 for his career.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' Tony Reid has 193 career tackles.
ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â'¬ ' James Gardner is 153 yards away for 1,000 receiving yards for the season. The last time Miami had 1,000-yard receiver was Nick Harwell (1,425) back in 2011. Gardner is also one receiving touchdown away from 10 this season. The last RedHawk to record double figure receiving touchdowns was Martin Nance (14) back in 2005. The last time a RedHawk had over 1,000 yards receiving and double figure touchdowns in the same season was Nance in 2003 (1,498-11).
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