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Sept. 10, 2007
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MIAMI AND CINCINNATI CLASH IN 112th BATTLE FOR THE BELL: Saturday's game marks the 112th playing of the "Battle for the Victory Bell" in one of college football's oldest rivalries. Miami and Cincinnati first met in 1888, the first game in program history for the Red and White. The game ended in a 0-0 tie. The rivalry ranks fifth in NCAA I-A's most-played rivalries, falling just five games behind Minnesota and Wisconsin, who have met 116 times since 1890.
MIAMI HEAD COACH Shane Montgomery (North Carolina State, `90) is in his third season at the helm of the Miami program, owning a 10-15 record ... Montgomery led the RedHawks to a share of the MAC East Division title in his first season (2005) ... also serves at the offensive coordinator and has since 2001 ... since that time, Miami has consistently ranked among the top 30 in passing offense and has ranked among the top 45 nationally in total offense five times.
CINCINNATI HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY (Assumption, `83) is off to a 2-0 start in his first season guiding the Bearcats ... Kelly is no stranger to the Mid-American Conference after spending the last three seasons as the head coach at Central Michigan, leading the Chippewas to a MAC Championship in 2006 ... Kelly posted his first win at Cincinnati in January when the Bearcats won the International Bowl, 27-24.
SERIES NOTES:
• Last season, Cincinnati posted a 24-10 win in Nippert Stadium. Miami's last win in the series came in Oxford in 2005 with the RedHawks posting a 44-16 win, the most points scored by Miami in the series.
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• Miami has won 14 of the 22 meetings between the teams in Oxford, including the last three home meetings. The Bearcats' last win in Oxford was in 1999, 52-42.
• Although the RedHawks have played just four overtime games in program history, two have come against the Bearcats: a double-overtime loss in 1997 (34-31) and a triple-overtime loss in 1996 (30-23).
GAME WEEK HAPPENINGS:
Saturday's game has been declared a "Whiteout". Miami fans are asked to wear white and "Whiteout" Yager Stadium in front of a national television audience.
Some of the festivities leading up to Saturday's game include:
• RedHawks United Pep Rally on the lawn of Millett Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13. with a live concert to follow.
• A sleepover for the Boy Scouts of the Fort Hamilton District in the Dan Beard Council on Friday night and the Boy Scouts leading the Yager Stadium crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance on Saturday.
• A new Tailgate Town that will open at 10 a.m. and is packed with interactive games, music and tailgate food.
• Band Day (16 high school bands will be in attendance).
Additionally, Miami Athletics will be unveiling a re-designed mascot, Swoop, during Saturday's pregame festivities.
IF MIAMI WINS ...: It would mark Miami's first victory against Cincinnati since Sept. 18, 2005, when the RedHawks defeated the Bearcats, 44-16 ... Miami would improve its all-time record against Cincinnati to 60-45-7.
HOME OPENERS: In its home openers, Miami's football team has registered an all-time record of 86 victories, 25 losses and four ties (.765). The RedHawks were defeated in last season's home opener by Northwestern, 21-3.
RALLY TIME: Miami's triple-overtime loss at Minnesota marked the seventh time in the 25-game Shane Montgomery Era that a game was decided in the last two minutes of regulation. The RedHawks mounted an unforgettable rally last week against the Golden Gophers. Trailing 28-12 with just 8:35 left in regulation, Miami scored on each of its last three possessions behind the clutch performance of back-up quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh (So., Coppell, TX). The RedHawks' quarterback completed touchdown passes of 20 yards to redshirt freshman Armand Robinson (Reynoldsburg) with 6:31 left on clock and 23 yards to true freshman Chris Givens (Chillicothe) with 3:10 remaining. On its final possession of regulation, Raudabaugh led Miami on an 11-play, 61-yard game-tying drive which culminated with a 36-yard field goal by Trevor Cook (So., Sioux Falls, SD) with just 11 seconds left on the clock. Miami had a chance to win the game at the end of the second overtime period, but Cook missed a 33-yard field goal.
In week one, Miami won at Ball State by a 14-13 score with just 17 seconds left on a six-yard touchdown run by Brandon Murphy (Sr., Strongsville).
Last season, three games were decided in the last 76 seconds, and Miami wound up on the losing side on every occasion. Against Kent State on Sept. 16, Mike Kokal's potential game-tying two-point PAT pass failed after his own two-yard run had pulled the RedHawks into striking distance. KSU wound up winning, 16-14. On Oct. 28, Miami lost to Ball State, 20-17, after the Cardinals scored a TD with 1:11 remaining in the contest. One week later, on Nov. 4, Western Michigan kicked a game-winning field with 1:16 left in the fourth quarter to win, 27-24.
In 2005--Montgomery's first season as head coach--Central Michigan scored a 60-yard TD with 1:44 left to defeat Miami, 38-37. The only other time besides last Thursday that Montgomery's MU squad has won a close game came on Oct. 22, 2005, when Eastern Michigan missed a game-tying PAT kick with 13 seconds left, leaving the RedHawks on top by a score of 24-23.
The last time Miami's offense won a game in the final seconds of regulation was on Oct. 13, 2001, when it beat Akron, 30-27. Redshirt freshman quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hit Eddie Tillitz on a 70-yard TD pass with no time remaining to give the RedHawks the victory. Just nine seconds earlier, Akron kicked what it thought was a game-winning field goal. Miami's offensive coordinator was Shane Montgomery.
MAKING THE MOST OF ITS ROSTER: Of the 70 Miami players who traveled to Minneapolis for the Minnesota game, all but 12 saw playing time. Making his first varsity appearance for the RedHawks was redshirt freshman receiver Donovan Potter (Trotwood).
TWO-HEADED QUARTERBACK: Starting quarterback Mike Kokal (Sr., Warren) and back-up signal-caller Daniel Raudabaugh (So., Coppell,TX) combined for 418 passing yards at Minnesota. Kokal completed 17-of-30 passes (one interception) for 196 yards and one touchdown, while Raudabaugh was 13-for-24 (one interception) for 222 yards and two touchdowns. All of Raudabaugh's action came late in the fourth quarter and in overtime. The 418 total passing yards ranks as the fourth-best all-time single-game mark in Miami history. The only three performances better than last Saturday's were all by former RedHawk great Ben Roethlisberger (525 yards vs. Northern Illinois in 2002, 452 yards vs. Hawaii in 2001, and 440 yards vs. Bowling Green in 2003). As either the head coach or the offensive coordinator, Miami's Shane Montgomery has had a direct hand in the school's top 13 single-game passing efforts.
MIAMI'S YOUTHFUL RECEIVING CORPS: The RedHawks' inexperienced wide-outs made a huge impact at Minnesota, accounting for 23 of Miami's 30 total receptions. Two true freshmen, three redshirt freshmen, a sophomore and a junior comprised Miami's primary outside targets. For the second straight game, Dustin Woods (So., Cincinnati) was Miami's leading pass catcher, grabbing six for 75 yards and one touchdown. True freshman Chris Givens (Chillicothe) had a superb game against the Gophers, catching five passes for 112 yards and one touchdown. He became only the second first-year freshman in program history to accumulate more than 100 yards in a single game. Redshirt freshman Armand Robinson (Reynoldsburg) made his second consecutive start and caught four passes for 54 yards and one touchdown. Fellow redshirt freshman Eugene Harris (Atlanta, GA) had three grabs for a career high 76 yards. True freshman Jamal Rogers (Ft. Myers, FL) had two catches for 12 yards and redshirt freshman Donovan Potter (Trotwood) made his first career catch for 14 yards. Sean McVay (Jr., Marietta, GA), who missed the season opener vs. Ball State due to a thumb injury, caught two balls for nine yards.
1,154 TOTAL YARDS SECOND-MOST: The 1,154 cumulative yards of total offense by Miami (577 yards) and Minnesota (577 yards) rank as the second-most in Miami single-game history. It was just seven yards shy of the all-time mark of 1,161 yards piled up by Miami (616 yards) and Hawai'i (545 yards) in 2001. The 1,154 total yards by Miami and Minnesota is sixth-best in the MAC record books. The all-time Mid-American Conference single-game record for total offense by two teams is 1,245 yards by Bowling Green (618) and Northwestern (624).
577-YARD PERFORMANCE SIXTH-BEST: Miami's 577 yards of total offense vs. Minnesota last Saturday ranks sixth-best in the school's record book. The all-time record offensive explosion came in 2003 vs. Kent State when Miami piled up 648 yards. Five of the top six single-game total offensive efforts have come with Shane Montgomery as either the head coach or offensive coordinator.
MAC's MOST PROFICIENT OFFENSE: Miami leads all Mid-American Conference teams in total offense, averaging 436.5 yards per game. The RedHawks rank third in passing offense (268.0 ypg) and third in rushing offense (168.5 ypg).
CRABTREE PRODUCES: Junior tight end Tom Crabtree (Carroll) tied his single-game best with five catches for 60 yards, including a single-play best 36-yard catch. Through two games this season, he has six catches for 65 yards.
THROWING TO CHRIS IS A GIVEN(S): Chris Givens (Chillicothe) caught five passes for 112 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown with just 3:10 left in the fourth quarter. He became only the second true freshman receiver in Miami football history to crack the century mark for yardage. In 2001, former RedHawk Mike Larkin had two receiving games of more than 100 yards (121 yards at Iowa and 101 yards at Hawai'i) during his freshman season.
CAUSTIC BOSTIC: Sophomore linebacker Caleb Bostic (Galloway) is the Mid-American Conference's top-ranking tackler with 13.5 per game. He had 10 tackles in Miami's triple-overtime loss at Minnesota last week, including one tackle for loss. Bostic also had a fumble recovery against the Gophers. He led all RedHawk defenders with 17 tackles in the season opener at Ball State game, his very first start.
THE LATEST RETURNS: Miami punt returners rank second among all Mid-American Conference teams with an average run-back of 24.0 yards. Eugene Harris (R-Fr., Atlanta, GA) leads all MAC players with an average of 27.5 yards per punt return (four for 110 yards).
REDHAWKS GET A BIG KICK OUT OF RICHARDSON: Junior punter JAKE RICHARDSON (Oxford) has averaged 46 yards per punt (11 for 506 yards) during the first two games of 2007. That's fourth-best among all Mid-American Conference punters. Richardson's long, booming kicks have been directly responsible for the RedHawks' net punting average of 41.3 yards, a mark that ranks second in the MAC statistics.
BRATTON DOES IT ALL: Sophomore tailback Andre Bratton (Woodbridge, VA) had perhaps his best overall game as a RedHawk last Saturday vs. Minnesota. He gained 50 net rushing yards on 12 carries, including a four-yard touchdown run in overtime. Bratton also caught a pass for eight yards, returned a punt for 10 yards, returned a kickoff for 20 yards, and blocked a Gopher punt that led to a Miami field goal.
MULLINS' EFFORT CONTINUES: Junior linebacker Clayton Mullins (Fairborn) ranks third among all Mid-American Conference defensive players with an average of 12.0 tackles per game. He compiled a career-best 15 tackles against Ball State, including a game-best seven solo stops.
GAFFORD PACES REDHAWKS: Sophomore free safety Jordan Gafford (Columbus) led all Miami defenders with 13 tackles (including 10 solo tackles) vs. Minnesota. He has 18 total tackles in two games, twice as many as he had all of last season as a freshman. Gafford ranks 13th among all MAC tacklers with an average of nine per game.
SUPER-SUB SHULA: Junior middle linebacker Chris Shula (Cooper City, FL) came in for the injured Joey Hudson (Jr., Piqua) and racked up a career-best 11 tackles (10 solos) vs. Minnesota. Shula, the grandson of NFL Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, had 21 total tackles for all of the 2006 season. Depending on Hudson's status for Saturday's game, Shula could be Miami's starter at the "Mike" linebacker against Cincinnati.
MR. WILSON: Junior apache (strong safety) Robbie Wilson (Cincinnati) totaled a career high 12 tackles (10 solos) against Minnesota. He has 18 total tackles through the first two games of 2007. MURPHY'S LAW: Senior running back Brandon Murphy (Strongsville), who struggled with an ankle injury throughout the 2006 campaign, was sidelined during the Minnesota game with a knee injury. At the point that he was injured, Murphy had accumulated 78 yards on just 12 carries. For the season, Murphy is averaging 6.5 yards per carry (31 attempts). His 201 net yards is the fourth-best total among all Mid-American Conference runners. Murphy will be evaluated early this week to determine his playing status.
HUDSON INJURED: Junior middle linebacker Joey Hudson (Piqua) suffered a knee injury at Minnesota and will be evaluated early this week to determine his playing status.
FAMILY AFFAIR: Saturday's game pits father versus son as Miami sophomore wide receiver Brayden Coombs (Cincinnati) will be on the opposite sideline as his father, Kerry Coombs, who is in his first season as the defensive backs coach at Cincinnati. Brayden was a defensive back and return man at Colerain high school where his dad was the head coach from 1991-2006. Colerain won a state title during Brayden's senior season in 2004.
BEST OF THE MAC: Thanks to its season-opening victory versus Ball State, Miami is 1-0 in Mid-American Conference play. The school has won more MAC games than any other (254), and its all-time MAC winning percentage of .674 (254-120-11) is far and away the best. Miami has won or shared 14 MAC titles, more than anyone else. Miami's next MAC game is not until Oct. 6 when it plays at Kent State.
MIAMI AMONG COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S ELITE TEAMS: In college football history, Miami ranks 20th in terms of all-time victories with 642. Miami is the only non-BCS-affiliated school in this rarified air. Among all-time collegiate teams with the best winning percentage, Miami ranks 16th at .633 (642-363-44). MU ranks 13th in winning percentage among schools that have played 100 or more seasons, trailing only Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, Penn State, Ohio State, Alabama, Nebraska, Southern California, Tennessee, Georgia and LSU.
BIRTHDAY BOYS: Among RedHawk football players celebrating birthdays this week are Dustin Woods (21 on Sept. 11), Tersee Nande (22 on Sept. 11), Dave DiFranco (22 on Sept. 14), Rion Robinson (21 on Sept. 14) and Dexter Korto (19 on Sept. 15).
REDHAWK CAPTAINS: Miami has three tri-captains in 2007, and will name a fourth player each week to be a game captain. The three players who were elected by their teammates include quarterback Mike Kokal (Sr., Warren), running back Brandon Murphy (Sr., Strongsville) and linebacker Joey Hudson (Jr., Piqua). Senior offensive tackle Charlie Norden (Dublin) was the game captain for the Minnesota contest. The fourth captain for the Cincinnati game will be named later this week.
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