Oct. 1, 2007

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THE SERIES:
• Miami and Kent State are meeting for the 55th time in a series that began in 1942 with a 53-7 Miami win.

• The RedHawks have historically controlled the series, posting a 43-11 series advantage and winning four of the last five meetings. Miami has lost to Kent State just twice since 1988, including a narrow 16-14 loss in Oxford last season.

• Kent State's last win in the series when playing in Kent came in 2001, when the Golden Flashes ended a 12-game skid versus the Red and White with a 24-20 victory.

• Miami's leads the series 20-6 in Kent and has won the last two meetings with Kent State in Dix Stadium and eight of the last nine.

• Some of the most intense meetings between the schools came in the mid `70s when current Miami quarterback Mike Kokal's father, Greg (1972-75), was quarterbacking the Golden Flashes.

THE COACHES:
MIAMI HEAD COACH Shane Montgomery (North Carolina State, `90) is in his third season at the helm of the Miami program, owning a 11-17 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.

KENT STATE HEAD COACH DOUG MARTIN (Kentucky, `85) is in his fourth season guiding the Kent State Golden Flashes and owns a 15-24 record at the helm of the program ... in his first season as head coach the team averaged 30.5 ppg for just the third time in school history ... prior to being named head coach, he served as offensive coordinator for the Golden Flashes from 2003-04.

IF MIAMI WINS ...: It would improve Miami's 2007 season record to 3-3, extending its winning streak to two ... it would improve MU's overall Mid-American Conference record to 2-0 ... it would be the RedHawks' third consecutive win at Kent State's Dix Stadium ... it would improve Miami's all-time record vs. Kent State to 44-11 and its all-time record at KSU to 21-6.

55TH MEETING BETWEEN REDHAWKS AND GOLDEN FLASHES: A 16-14 Kent State victory at Yager Stadium last season (Sept. 16, 2006) broke a four-game Miami winning streak against the Golden Flashes. KSU's victory was only its second versus the RedHawks since 1989. Since their very first meeting in 1942, Miami leads Kent State with 43 victories in 54 meetings.

BEST MIAMI PERFORMANCES VS. KENT STATE: In Miami's previous 54 games against Kent State, here are its top individual efforts.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING: Ty King, 205 yards (24-205, 4 TD) ... 8/31/96 INDIVIDUAL PASSING: Ben Roethlisberger, 409 yards (28-44-1-409, 3 TD) ... 10/24/03 INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING: Martin Nance, 181 yards (10-181, 3 TD) ... 10/24/03

FIRST HOME WIN SINCE 2005: Miami's 17-14 victory over Syracuse at Yager Stadium was its first home-field victory since Nov. 5, 2005 when the RedHawks defeated Buffalo (54-13). MU had lost seven consecutive home games.

BEST OF THE MAC: Thanks to its season-opening victory versus Ball State, Miami is 1-0 in Mid-American Conference play. The RedHawks are one of three East Division MAC teams at 1-0, joining Bowling Green and Akron atop the standings. Miami has won more MAC games than any other (254), and owns the top all-time MAC winning percentage of .674 (254-120-11). MU has won or shared 14 MAC titles, more than any other program.

MIAMI AMONG COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S ELITE TEAMS: In college football history, Miami ranks 20th in terms of all-time victories with 643. MU 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 .6321 (643-365-44). Miami 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.

REDHAWK CAPTAINS: Miami has three 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 running back Austin Sykes (Coraopolis, PA) was the game captain for the Syracuse contest. The captain for the Kent State game will be named later this week.

MIAMI VS. THE BIG EAST: With its 17-14 victory over Syracuse, Miami evened its all-time record vs. Big East Conference teams to 3-3-1.

TOMAHAWK VICTORY: One of the walls in Miami's football locker room is designated as the Tomahawk Victory Wall. Decorating the wall are large, red wooden tomahawk replicas, painted with the years and scores of MU's victories against big-time football programs. The tomahawk tradition dates back 60 years to 1947 when Miami defeated Texas Tech, 13-12, at the Sun Bowl in El Paso. Saturday's victory over Syracuse will soon become the 35th tomahawk to go up on the wall. It's the very first of the 35 victories that has been played in Oxford.

REDHAWKS' INJURY REPORT: Mickey Mann (injured knee vs. Syracuse), out for Kent State game ... Andre Bratton (injured knee vs. Cincinnati), out for season ... Brandon Murphy (injured knee vs. Minnesota), out for season; will undergo surgery this week ... Matt McKeown (injured shoulder vs. Ball State), out for season.

IN TWO WEEKS: Miami continues Mid-American Conference play with a Homecoming game at Yager Stadium versus Bowling Green on Oct. 13 (3 p.m.).

MIAMI'S OFFENSE MIAMI TOPS SYRACUSE IN T.O.P.: After being on the other end of the spectrum vs. Colorado, Miami dominated Syracuse in terms of time of possession. The RedHawks' offensive unit controlled the ball for 36:52, compared to 23:08 for the Orange. Two weeks ago, Colorado dominated Miami in time of possession, 40:24 to 19:36.

THE JONES BOY: Cory Jones (Florence, MS) rushed for a career-best 125 yards on 12 rushes. Entering the Syracuse game, the senior running back had rushed for a career total of eight yards on three carries, all coming over the previous two games. His 48-yard gallop in the fourth-quarter and his 23-yard jaunt in the third quarter were the game's two-longest runs. Jones also scored the first two touchdowns of his career (1 yard and 13 yards) and caught three passes for 21 yards. It was the 263rd time in Miami history that a RedHawk player had rushed for 100 or more yards. Jones's 125-yard rushing performance was the best since Brandon Murphy (Sr., Strongsville) had 173 yards (33 atts.) vs. Eastern Michigan on Oct. 22, 2005.

TAKING TURNS: Through the first five games, three different players have led the RedHawks in rushing. Brandon Murphy paced Miami in rushing vs. Ball State (123 yards) and Minnesota (78 yards), Austin Sykes (Coraopolis, PA) was MU's top rusher vs. Cincinnati (76 yards) and Colorado (29 yards), and Cory Jones gained a team-leading 125 yards vs. Syracuse. Those three players have accumulated nearly 70 percent of Miami's rushing yardage. As a unit, Miami's backs averaged 5.7 yards per rush against the Orange (286 yards on 50 attempts).

THINGS GO BETTER WITH KOKAL: Senior tri-captain Mike Kokal (Sr., Warren) stepped back into his starting role at quarterback by leading Miami to a 17-14 victory over Syracuse. He accounted for 213 yards of total offense (150 passing, 63 rushing). As a starter, Kokal is 2-2 (wins vs. Ball State and Syracuse; losses to Minnesota and Cincinnati). He moved into eighth place on passing yardage list, now totaling 3,049 yards. Only nine other RedHawk quarterbacks have reached 3,000 career passing yards. Kokal's 63 yards rushing vs. Syracuse was the second-best total of his MU career. He ran for 95 yards vs. Ohio in 2006.

QUARTERBACK DUO: As a pair, Daniel Raudabaugh (So., Coppell, TX) and Mike Kokal have combined for 1,048 yards and four TD passes in 2007. Nearly 40 percent of that passing yardage came four weeks ago at Minnesota, they totaled 418 passing yards, the fourth-best all-time single-game mark in Miami history. The only three performances that exceeded that effort were all by former RedHawk great Ben Roethlisberger (525 yards vs. Northern Illinois in 2002, 452 yards vs. Hawai'i in 2001, and 440 yards vs. Bowling Green in 2003). As either the head coach or the offensive coordinator, Shane Montgomery has had a direct hand in the school's top 13 single-game passing efforts.

MIAMI'S RECEIVERS: Seventeen different RedHawk receivers have caught passes through the first five games of 2007. Nine of those 17 players have recorded their first collegiate receptions. Dustin Woods (So., Cincinnati), who had six catches for 95 yards vs. Syracuse, has a team-leading 19 catches for 228 yards and one touchdown. Armand Robinson (R-Fr., Reynoldsburg) and Eugene Harris (R-Fr., Atlanta, GA) are the next most frequent receivers with 14 catches each. Robinson's grabs have accounted for 153 yards and two touchdowns, while Harris's catches have been good for 150 yards. True freshman Chris Givens (Chillicothe) ranks second on the team in receiving yardage with 204 on 11 catches.

GENO: Redshirt freshman Eugene Harris has a total of 14 grabs for 150 yards over five games. Harris also ranks second among Mid-American Conference players with nine punt returns for 125 yards (16.0 ypr).

GIVENS TOPS TEAM IN YARDS PER CATCH: He only accounted for two pass receptions (19 yards) vs. Syracuse, but Chris Givens (Fr., Chillicothe) leads Miami in yards per catch with 18.5. His 55-yard catch vs. Minnesota and his 39-yarder vs. Cincinnati rate as the RedHawks' two longest grabs in 2007. On Sept. 8 against Minnesota, Givens became only the second true freshman receiver in Miami football history to crack the century mark for yardage (five catches for 112 yards).

JARED'S BIG JAUNT: Quarterback turned receiver Jared Elliott (Jr., Franklin, TN) had a 35-yard pass reception vs. Colorado, his first-ever collegiate catch. That single gain comprised 25.1 percent of Miami's total offensive yardage (139) against the Buffaloes.

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 averaged 6.5 yards per carry (31 attempts). Murphy will undergo surgery this coming Friday.

THREE-FIFTHS PASSING, TWO-FIFTHS RUSHING: Of Miami's 1,771 total offensive yards, 1,048 yards (59.2 percent) have come via the passing game.

577-YARD PERFORMANCE SIXTH-BEST: Miami's 577 yards of total offense vs. Minnesota 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. 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 Hawaii (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).

MIAMI'S DEFENSE: NIGHT AND DAY: Miami's defensive performance was markedly better vs. Syracuse (302 total yards yielded) than it was one week earlier at Colorado (634 yards yielded). The biggest improvement came in defending the opponent's running game. Against Syracuse, RedHawk defenders gave up only 66 rushing yards on 26 attempts (2.5 yards per attempt). At Colorado, Miami surrendered 359 rushing yards on 63 attempts (5.7 ypa).

MULLINS CLIMBS IN TACKLES RANKINGS: Junior outside linebacker Clayton Mullins (Fairborn) ranks third among all Mid-American Conference defensive players with 11.4 tackles per game. He had nine stops vs. Syracuse last Saturday in the RedHawks' victory. Nationally, Mullins is tied for 14th place, 2.27 tackles per game behind the NCAA leader, Will Dunbar of UAB (13.67 tpg). Conference-wise, he ranks third among MAC defensive players. Mullins compiled a career-best 15 tackles against Ball State, including a game-best seven solo stops. Over the last two seasons, Miami's "Will" linebacker has averaged 8.7 tackles per game.

CAUSTIC BOSTIC: Sophomore outside linebacker Caleb Bostic (Galloway) was held to only two tackles vs. Syracuse, but still ranks as the Mid-American Conference's fifth-leading tackler with 52 stops through five games. Bostic is tied for 23rd place on the NCAA's tackles list with an average of 10.4 per contest. He led all RedHawk defenders with 17 tackles in the season opener at Ball State game, his very first start. Among MAC defensive players, Bostic's six TFLs through five games are sixth best.

GAFFORD CONTINUES TO IMPRESS: Sophomore free safety Jordan Gafford (Columbus) had six tackles in Miami's win over Syracuse, continuing his impressive early season effort. Gafford has 41 total tackles through five games. He is tied for 14th place among all MAC tacklers with an average of 8.2 per game. He led all Miami defenders with 13 tackles (including 10 solo tackles) vs. Minnesota a month ago.

HUDSON EARNS MAC POW HONORS: Junior middle linebacker and tri-captain Joey Hudson (Piqua) continued his amazing comeback last Saturday vs. Syracuse, recording a team-leading 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. For his performance, he was awarded Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors. Hudson, who suffered a knee injury at Minnesota and whose availability for the balance of the season was very much in question, got back in the starting lineup against Colorado. A member of the Butkus Award's "Watch List" and the Rotary Lombardi Award's "Watch List", Hudson now has 27 tackles.

MR. WILSON: Junior apache (strong safety) Robbie Wilson (Cincinnati) has 39 total tackles through the first five games of 2007, ranking fourth on the team behind Clayton Mullins (57), Caleb Bostic (52) and Jordan Gafford (41). Wilson is tied for 17th in tackles per game among all MAC defensive players with 9.2 per game. He now totals 107 career tackles.

SUPER-SUB SHULA: Junior middle linebacker Chris Shula (Cooper City, FL) subbed for the injured Joey Hudson (Jr., Piqua) on Sept. 8 at Minnesota and racked up a career-best 11 tackles (10 solos). Shula, the grandson of NFL Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, has 18 tackles through five games. He had 21 total tackles for the entire 2006 season.

NO PAIN, NO GAINES: Senior cornerback Jerrid Gaines (Springfield) had a career-high nine tackles, broke up two passes and recovered a fumble at Colorado. He now has 104 career tackles.

THOMPSON TOUGH IN THE CLUTCH: Sophomore cornerback Jeff Thompson (Worthington) continues to be one of Miami's best defensive backs. He had three tackles in the victory over Syracuse. Thompson's best game came at Colorado where he had a career-best five solo tackles. Four of his five stops came on third-down plays by the Buffaloes. Thompson also intercepted a pass against Colorado, his team-best second pick of 2007.

REDHAWK STEW: Redshirt freshman Alex Stewart (Westerville) got his second collegiate start at nose tackle vs. Syracuse, registering a "quarterback hurry". The 19-year-old registered five tackles at Colorado in his first start.

COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENSE: True freshman Morris Council (DL, Decatur, GA) had his best game to date for the RedHawks, recording two tackles, including one tackle for a loss of seven yards vs. Syracuse. The 18-year-old rising star's most significant play came on the Orange's final offensive play when he batted away quarterback Andrew Robinson's desperation pass at the line of scrimmage.

MIAMI'S SPECIAL TEAMS: RICHARDSON EARNS MAC POW HONORS: Junior punter JAKE RICHARDSON (Oxford) averaged 47.2 yards per punt last Saturday vs. Syracuse, consistently pinning the Orange inside their 20-yard line. Following six Richardson punts, the average SU drive started on its own 17-yard line. For his effort, Richardson was named the Mid-American Conference's Special Teams Player of the Week.

RICHARDSON RANKS FIFTH ON NCAA PUNTING LIST: JAKE RICHARDSON ranks fifth in the latest NCAA stats with an average of 45.97 yards per punt (31 attempts). He is third-best among all Mid-American Conference punters, just 1.0 yard behind the leader, Toledo's Brett Kern.

THE LATEST RETURNS: Miami punt returners rank second among all Mid-American Conference teams with an average run-back of 15.5 yards. Eugene Harris (R-Fr., Atlanta, GA) ranks second among all MAC players with an average of 16.1 yards per punt return (10 for 161 yards). He ranks 15th in the NCAA statistics among punt returners.

TRUE FRESHMAN PAIR HANDLES KICK RETURNS: True freshmen Jamal Rogers (Fort Myers, FL) and Chris Givens (Chillicothe) make up Miami's kick return tandem. Rogers is averaging 20.1 yards per return (14 attempts) while Givens got his first chance vs. Syracuse, returning one kickoff for 14 yards.

COOK A GROZA CANDIDATE: Trevor Cook (So., Sioux Falls, SD) kicked what turned out to be the game-winning field goal in Miami's 17-14 victory over Syracuse. His 19-yarder with 5:08 left in the game increased the RedHawks' lead to 17-7 at the time. Cook has made five of his 10 field-goal attempts this season and has converted seven of eight PAT tries. He leads the RedHawks in scoring with 22 points.

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