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CINCINNATI, Ohio— Yahsyn McKee knew what was about to happen.
19 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Tie game.
Cincinnati lining up for a potential game-winning field goal.
The Victory Bell on the line.
And McKee knew —beyond a shadow of a doubt— that he was going to block the kick.
"All week, my coach had been telling me I'm going to get a block," McKee said. "We were waiting for the right time to call it. I was just waiting on him to call me to let me loose.
"All game, the blocker was just stepping down too far. I knew I was going to be able to step over his leg and block the field goal when we called my number. We were setting it up [on previous attempts] and destroying the middle piece of the O-line. Then, as soon as we called the edge blitz, he let me go, called my number and told me I could go block.
"I knew I was going to block it…big-time players make big-time plays."
And he did.
"I said, if we're going to beat Cincinnati, we're going to have to have a game-changing special teams play," head coach
Chuck Martin explained after the game. "I said, 'This is our last chance, guys.'
"Players make plays. He's a great player. He came off the edge, [and] makes an unbelievable play to give us a chance."
The senior cornerback's highlight-reel block, which will live in Miami fans' memories for generations, gave the RedHawks new life, a shot at overtime and a chance to make history. From there, a victory would give the Red and White its first win over UC since 2005, first win at Nippert Stadium since 2002, first win over a Big 12 team, and also its first overtime win…ever.
(In perhaps one of the strangest stats to be found in
the weekly Miami Football game notes, the visitors entered Saturday night's rivalry showdown having only played six OT games since college football adopted the extra session in 1996, and just two in the past decade under Martin.
That section of the game notes will need rewritten this week.)
And once again, McKee was in the right place at the right time to made something special happen. After
Joe Wilkins Jr. put Miami up 31-24 with a touchdown catch on the second play of overtime, Cincinnati quickly found itself facing a fourth-and-goal play at the Miami two-yard line.
With the Victory Bell at stake, McKee broke on the ball and broke the Bearcats' hearts.
"With my IQ of the game, I knew…that they were going to try to run rub routes and pick me, so I jammed my guy at the line and then the quarterback threw the ball," said McKee.
"It was like I was the receiver!"
McKee's interception gave the RedHawks a thrilling 31-24 victory after he safely slid to the Nippert Stadium turf.
"I knew I had to get down," he said. "But I wanted to score!"
The final possession marked one of five times in the contest that UC drove the ball inside the Miami 10-yard line without reaching the end zone (one turnover on downs, three field goals, and the McKee pick).
"The goal line stands? That's the difference in the game, for sure," Martin said.
"[When it got to overtime], I thought we would win in OT. I really did. I thought we would get a stop…I didn't know how it was going to happen…our kids had done everything we asked of them, and fought and fought and fought.
"We caught enough breaks and made enough breaks, and I was like, 'We're going to find a way to finish this one off.'"
McKee ended the night with an impressive stat line: Six tackles, one tackle for loss, and two pass breakups to go with his field goal block and interception. However, the final box score shows that a number of RedHawks made crucial plays to help deliver the Bell back to its rightful place in Oxford and even the all-time series at 60-60-7.
Brett Gabbert threw for three scores and rushed for a gritty 75 yards on nine carries, including a 17-yard run in overtime.
Gage Larvadain shocked and silenced the 'Blackout' crowd of nearly 40,000 with a 79-yard touchdown catch on the opening play from scrimmage.
Javon Tracy picked a perfect time for his first career touchdown.
Caiden Woullard had three quarterback hurries. Five different RedHawks recorded nine or more tackles, with each of those players setting a new career high in that particular stat category. The list could go on.
Still, no player made his presence felt more than McKee, the second-year RedHawk who transferred to Miami in 2022 from FCS Mercer University in Georgia.
Better known as 'Frizz' to his teammates (because of his frizzy 'long, blonde, and curly' hair in high school), McKee had decided after a 2021 battle against future No. 1 pick Bryce Young, Jameson Williams, John Metchie III and Alabama that his skills were FBS-level.
However, his career with the RedHawks initially got off to a slow start. "I transferred in, and playing Cincinnati [in 2022] was like my first time actually playing for Miami," McKee remembered. "They destroyed me last year in coverage.
"I had something to prove this year. And just to bring that Bell back home to Miami feels good – to put on for this team, this city and this town…it means a lot to this school and this culture of Love and Honor.
"It just feels great to bring it back home."
McKee, who is majoring in communications at Miami, hopes his post-graduation career plans involve football, first and foremost as a player and then possibly as an analyst or commentator.
"Everything I do is for my son and my family," says McKee, whose one-year-old child, Yahsyn Shamir McKee Jr., is nicknamed 'Deuce.' "I'm just trying to put us in a better situation and a better future."
But until then, the soon-to-be-23-year-old remains focused on the here and now, working to make a name for himself and the 2023 RedHawks every single week and every single game, no matter the opponent.
And with the Victory Bell in tow, that means turning attention to Saturday's home opener against Delaware State as Miami tries to win three non-conference regular-season games in a year for the first time since Ben Roethlisberger wore the Red and White (2003).
"This team is very special," McKee said. "We haven't had an offense with this much firepower in a while…and this defense is scary.
"We treat every game the same…we're going to prepare the same way we do each week and we're going to go all out [Saturday] and give it our all."
But while preparation for the Hornets is already underway, it's only fair to allow the RedHawks to savor yesterday's massive Victory Bell victory, at least for a few hours.
"This means everything to Miami," said Martin. "I told the kids, 'It's been a while. If you can be the group that wins it, people remember you forever.'
"People will talk about this win for a long time. People will remember this win for a long time, especially how it happened, how gutsy it was…
"Every Bell you win means something. It's going to be remembered, no doubt."
And so will Frizz McKee.
Find more Front Row Features at: MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures.
Miami Football returns to Yager Stadium for the 2023 home opener on Saturday, Sept. 23 against Delaware State. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and tickets are available for purchase now!
