 |
 |
|||||
|
Oct. 6, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
MIAMI REDHAWKS (1-4; 0-1 MAC) at NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES (2-3; 1-1 MAC)
QUICK HITS 1. Miami continues Mid-American Conference play at Northern Illinois.
2. Northern Illinois and Miami are the MAC's top two ranked defensive teams.
3. Senior middle linebacker Joey Hudson tops Miami in tackles with 55 is the MAC's leading tackler and is tied for seventh-best in this week's NCAA statistics.
4. Miami's JAKE RICHARDSON leads the nation in punting for the fifth consecutive week. His 48.08 average is nearly a yard better than No. 2.
IF MIAMI WINS ...: The RedHawks would improve their overall record to 2-4 ... Miami would be 1-1 in MAC East Division play and be no less than one-half game out of first place ... MU would improve its all-time record to 8-5 against Northern Illinois.
RUNNING BACKS: Sophomore Thomas Merriweather (Florissant, MO) rushed for 133 yards on 26 carries vs. Temple, his career's best effort and the first time he has eclipsed the century mark as a collegian. Previously, his top performance came this year against Michigan, a game in which he rushed for 77 yards. Merriweather has a five-game total of 393 net yards on 100 attempts and has caught five passes for 47 yards. Junior Andre Bratton leads all Miami tailbacks in receiving with 16 catches for 120 yards and has rushed 25 times for 68 yards.
BIG BROTHER WITH A BIG FOOT: Senior punter JAKE RICHARDSON tops the NCAA punting statistics for the fifth straight week with a 48.1 average, just less than a yard better than Idaho's T.J. Conley who has averaged 47.27. Last week vs. Temple, Richardson had his worst effort of 2008, averaging just 40.4 yards on seven punts. Five weeks ago against Michigan, He punted seven times for 377 yards, an average of 53.9 per kick. That average is the top all-time, single-game mark in Miami history, breaking Richardson's own record of 53.0 ypp vs. Purdue in 2006. Richardson's 53.9 single-game average ranks tenth-best all-time in Mid-American Conference history. Five of his seven kicks at Michigan were 50 yards or more, including a career-best 74 yarder. His previous long punt was a 69-yarder vs. Northwestern his sophomore season (2006). Richardson's 74-yarder is tied for the third-best effort all-time at Miami. Four of his seven punts were downed inside the 20-yard line and one other kick was a touchback. For his performance at Michigan, he was named the MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week. Through four games in 2008, he has punted 25 times for 1,202 yards, an average of 48.1 yards per punt. During his Miami career, he has punted 197 times for 8,414 yards, an average of 42.7 yards (first all-time at Miami and fifth-best all-time in the MAC). He finished last year with a 45.0 average, sixth-best in the nation and less than two yards per kick behind the NCAA leader. In late April, Jake's ninth sibling (Grace) was born. Nearly 23 years separate Jake (the oldest Richardson child) from Grace.
|
|
 |
|
|
||
| MuRedHawks.com WEB | ||
