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Home > Blogs > RedHawk rumblings | Miami University sports news > Archives > 2008 > September > 13
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Miami report card
From reporter Pete Conrad:
Miami Report Card Charleston Southern at Miami
Pass offense B Daniel Raudabaugh threw for 305 yards, Armand Robinson had a 50-yard reception plus an 18-yard touchdown catch, and Dustin Woods had a 49-yard catch. A good day, not a great day.
Run offense C Thomas Merriweather did rush for three touchdowns, but all were in short-yardage situations. The RedHawks averaged 2.7 yards per carry, which is below average, but some of the minus yardage came at the end when quarterback Clay Belton, making a late appearance, took a knee a couple times.
Pass defense C At times this aspect of the game seemed like a complete failure for Miami, which allowed quarterback Tribble Reese to throw four touchdown passes, a couple to impossibly wide-open receivers. Fortunately for the RedHawks, the interceptions by Joe Coniglio and Ben Bennett represented a swing of 21 points. Coniglio’s pick resulted in a Miami touchdown, and Bennett’s interception at the Miami 1-yard line and subsquent 78-yard return turned an apparent Charleston Southern touchdown into a Miami touchdown.
Run defense B Miami held the Buccaneers to 2.4 yards per rush, a solid job. “We really came out in the second half and went to work,” said Miami junior linebacker Caleb Bostic, who had five tackles, including one for a 10-yard loss. Joey Hudson led the way with 10 tackles and Clayton Mullins had nine. Sean Redwine had 1.5 tackles for loss.
Special teams A There was, of course, the 44-yard punt return for a touchdown by Eugene Harris. Jake Richardson averaged 52.0 yards on two punts after coming into the game with a national-best average of 51.6. Nathan Parseghian missed one of his two field goal attempts, but is 5-for-6 in field goal attempts and 6-for-6 in extra points.
Intangibles F There wasn’t much of a home-field advantage from the student side of the field for the RedHawks. Of the 13,800 people at Yager Stadium, fewer than 400 were on that side of the field. Possibly fewer than 300 if you don’t count band members.
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By Pete Conrad
Special teams continue to be very important and very good for the Miami RedHawks, who claimed their first victory Saturday, Sept. 13 by coming from behind to beat the Charleston Southern Commodores 38-27 at Yager Stadium.
Miami, which trailed 13-0 early in the second quarter, scored the game’s last 21 points, an outburst sparked by Eugene Harris returning an Andy Brown punt 44 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter.
Two other bright spots this season have been the kicking of Nathan Parseghian, who is 5-for-6 in field goal attempts and 6-for-6 on PATs, and Jake Richardson, whose two-punt average Saturday of 52 yards did nothing to hurt his season average, which was a national-best 51.6 yards coming in.
Red-shirt freshman quarterback Clay Belton made a late appearance. Two series in the closing minutes, no passes.
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By Pete Conrad
Special teams continue to be very important and very good for the Miami RedHawks, who claimed their first victory Saturday, Sept. 13 by coming from behind to beat the Charleston Southern Commodores 38-27 at Yager Stadium.
Miami, which trailed 13-0 early in the second quarter, scored the game’s last 21 points, an outburst sparked by Eugene Harris returning an Andy Brown punt 44 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter.
Two other bright spots this season have been the kicking of Nathan Parseghian, who is 5-for-6 in field goal attempts and 6-for-6 on PATs, and Jake Richardson, whose two-punt average Saturday of 52 yards did nothing to hurt his season average, which was a national-best 51.6 yards coming in.
Red-shirt freshman quarterback Clay Belton made a late appearance. Two series in the closing minutes, no passes.
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By Pete Conrad
Special teams continue to be very important and very good for the Miami RedHawks, who claimed their first victory Saturday, Sept. 13 by coming from behind to beat the Charleston Southern Commodores 38-27 at Yager Stadium.
Miami, which trailed 13-0 early in the second quarter, scored the game’s last 21 points, an outburst sparked by Eugene Harris returning an Andy Brown punt 44 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter.
Two other bright spots this season have been the kicking of Nathan Parseghian, who is 5-for-6 in field goal attempts and 6-for-6 on PATs, and Jake Richardson, whose two-punt average Saturday of 52 yards did nothing to hurt his season average, which was a national-best 51.6 yards coming in.
Red-shirt freshman quarterback Clayt Belton made a late appearance. Two series in the closing minutes, no passes.
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Miami takes the lead, briefly
By Pete Conrad
News flash! For the second time this season the Miami University football team has taken the lead.
Joe Coniglio’s interception return to the Charleston Northern 1-yard line led to Thomas Merriweather’s 1-yard touchdown plunge with 14:09 left in the third quarter and a 17-13 lead by the RedHawks.
It was the first interception of Coniglio’s Miami career. He was pulled down less than a yard away from the end zone, which is a not-unknown area for Coniglio. As a fullback in high school he scored 42 touchdowns over two seasons.
Miami’s only other lead this season came in the opener at home against Vanderbilt when Nathan Parseghian’s 37-yard field goal in the first quarter gave the RedHawks a 3-0 advantage. Vandy went on to score the next 17 points.
Like the first lead, Miami’s second lead didn’t last long. The Buccaneers answered with Tribble Reese’s third touchdown pass of the day (perhaps one of Reese’s grandparents was a Trekkie) to regain the lead 20-17 with 10:51 left in the third period.
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Seven quarters later, another Miami touchdown
By Pete Conrad
It was starting to get scary. Charleston Southern took a 13-0 lead over Miami University when Tribble Reese threw his second touchdown pass of the day.
(Yes, the name is Tribble. One of his parents must be a “Star Trek” fan.)
Let me repeat that. Charleston Southern was leading Miami “The Cradle of Coaches” RedHawks 13-0. With 13:37 left in the second quarter it was Charleston Southern 13, Miami University 0. That’s Miami, the team with the three Butkus Award watch list linebackers, the team that battled the Michigan Wolverines on mostly even terms last wekend, with the zero after its name. Are we clear on this?
This is the Charleston Southern team with an 0-2 record, a team in the Football Championship Series (which used to be called Division I-AA) that had been outscored this season 93-30. Playing for the first time in Oxford. The winless team that does not have home-field advantage.
Do you see my point?
But now, finally, sanity is embarking on a comeback in Oxford. The world of Miami football is starting to make sense again.
Miami’s streak of seven consecutive quarters without a touchdown was snapped after Daniel Raudabaugh floated a long pass to Dustin Woods, a 49-yard gain to the Charleston Southern 4. Thomas Merriweather carried it in from there with 12:02 left in the second quarter of Saturday’s game at Yager Stadium.
Then Raudabaugh completed passes of 21 yards to Eugene Harris and 23 yards to Andre Bratton, leading to Nathan Parseghian’s 22-yard field goal.
At halftime it’s Charleston Southern 13, Miami 10.
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Revamped line, stupefying start for RedHawks
By Pete Conrad
The Miami RedHawks started Game No. 3 on a very steamy Saturday afternoon, Sept. 13, against Charleston Southern with a slightly revamped offensive line, due to the injury last week to Bob Gulley’s shin.
Gulley, the starting right tackle, was hurt early in the game at Michigan and was replaced by red-shirt freshman Ken Staudinger.
The new starter against Charleston Southern, however, was Nate Williams, a 6-foot-5, 302-pounds sophomore from Parma making his first collegiate start.
He started at left guard, and senior Steve Sutter, who had started there the first two weeks, was shifted to right tackle.
The RedHawks don’t seem to have their heads in the game early on.
Miami’s first offensive series went nowhere, and the Buccaneers took a 7-0 lead midway through the first period when tight end Clayton Coffman found himself wide open in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tribble Reese. And I mean wide, wide, wide open.
The RedHawks did drive deep into Charleston Southern territory on their second drive. And then lost the ball on a fumble at the 15-yard line.
Maybe it’s the disconcerting noise from the mass of fans on the student side of the field. All six of them.
Just kidding. There actually are more like 106 students in the student bleachers. If there is a lull in the action, I’ll count them myself for a more accurate figure. It shouldn’t take long.
