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RedHawk Football Team Aiming to Spring Forward

Practice Begins Saturday, March 20; Walk-on Tryouts on Tuesday

An enthusiastic bunch of Miami University football coaches and players hope to make strides back toward respectability as spring drills begin in Oxford.

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March 14, 2010

OXFORD, Ohio -- An enthusiastic bunch of Miami University football coaches and players hope to make strides back toward respectability as spring drills begin in Oxford. Temperatures near 60 degrees are predicted to greet the RedHawks at Saturday's first practice.

The annual Red & White Spring Football Game will be staged at Yager Stadium on Saturday, April 10, at 1 p.m.

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Miami University male student-athletes who have aspirations of playing football for Coach Michael Haywood's 2010 RedHawks will have their chance to display their athletic talent at Yager Stadium on Tuesday, March 16. All individuals who are planning on trying out should report to the Miami Football Office at Yager to fill out some paperwork and a medical waiver prior to 4:30 p.m. on the 16th. The actual tryouts begin at 5 p.m. and will consist of four stations and approximately 20-to-30 minutes of position-specific work. Players should bring their own football cleats. For more information about the football tryouts, call (513) 529-3319.

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A total of 80 returning players, including 51 letter winners, have been regular 6 a.m. visitors at James Carsey's Strength and Conditioning Center inside Miami's Walter L. Gross Jr. Family Student-Athlete Development Center for the Fourth Quarter Program.

Besides the unusually large number of veterans back for another season, Head Coach MICHAEL HAYWOOD'S spring troops also include a bevy of new student-athletes, including several talented transfers and first-year collegians. That group features Michigan transfer VINCE HELMUTH (FB, Saline, MI), Connecticut transfer C.J. MARCK (LB, Newtown, PA) and Iowa transfer Jason Semmes (DL, Clarkston, MI), plus recently signed newcomers NICK HARWELL (WR, Missouri City, TX), KELVIN JACKSON (DL, Missouri City, TX) and JOHN STEELE (DL, Cleveland, OH).

"All of these young men will be given an opportunity to contribute and play early," said Haywood. "They will bring experience and leadership to this organization."

Reconfiguring the defensive secondary and stopping the run will be the team's defensive focus this spring, according to Haywood.

"Offensively, we're going to run the ball," he said. "There will be days this spring when we won't throw a single pass."

When the RedHawks conduct weekday practices, they will start drills at 8 a.m. due to their afternoon class blocks. Starting times for weekend practices will vary.

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MIAMI'S SPRING PRACTICE DATES:

Sat., Mar. 20 - practice No. 1 (no pads)

Mon., Mar. 22 - practice No. 2 (full pads)

Tue., Mar. 23 - practice No. 3 (full pads)

Wed., Mar. 24 - practice No. 4 (full pads)

Fri., Mar. 26 - practice No. 5 (no pads)

Sat., Mar. 27 - practice No. 6 (full scrimmage)

Mon., Mar. 29 - practice No. 7 (full pads)

Tue., Mar. 30 - practice No. 8 (full pads)

Wed., Mar. 31 - practice No. 9 (full pads)

Thu., Apr. 1 - practice No. 10 (full scrimmage)