Pyramid Hill lights up
Women of Excellence Awards
16th Annual Music Festival
Home > Blogs > RedHawk rumblings | Miami University sports news > Archives > 2009 > October > 03 > Entry
Report Card: Cincinnati at Miami
Pass offense
B
Sure, Zac Dysert spent much of the fourth quarter diving for cover, unsuccessfully, when he was sacked six times in that final period. But considering everything, including the fact that Chris Givens, Dustin Woods and Jamal Rogers all were out with injuries, Miami’s passing attack was sharp with its tightly focused short game. Tailback Andre Bratton had career highs in both receptions (11) and passing yardage (90), and wire receiver Armand Robinson finished with 10 catches for 100 yards. In his last three games Robinson has been an absolute machine, hauling in 28 passes.
Run offense
D-plus
Officially, Miami finished with 30 yards on 35 carries. And although the offensive line wasn’t exactly blowing Bearcats away from the trenches, the running game wasn’t quite that bad. The stats reflect Cincinnati’s 10 quarterback sacks for minus-63 yards
Pass defense
B
One of the top-rated passing games in the nation did not light up the RedHawks, who kept a close watch on Mardy Gilyard all day. Gilyard still got loose for six receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown, but that is not one of his best days. And quarterback Tony Pike was good, passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns, but he had no completion longer than 35 yards. A good job by defensive backs Anthony Kokal (13 tackles, one pass break-up), Jordan Gafford (seven tackles, one break-up), Jeff Thompson (six tackles, three break-ups) and Brandon Stephens (four tackles, one break-up).
Run defense
D
It had been more than two years since UC had a running back who gained more than 100 yards. Until Saturday. Overall the Bearcats had 164 yards rushing on 19 carries. That is not good.
Special teams
D
Chris DeCesare’s shanked punt of 6 yards was off set by Eugene Harris’ 36-yard punt return. The failed fake punt early in the second quarter, when Austin Moore ran for it on fourth-and-1 and was stopped for no gain at Miami’s own 27-yard line, and which led to a Cincinnati touchdown, should have been off set by the recovered on-sides kick by the RedHawks, who drove to the UC 3-yard line and then turned the ball over. “There were only six (Bearcats) in the box,” Miami coach Mike Haywood said of his decision to go with the fake punt. “We just didn’t execute. We should have 4-6 yards off that easy.” Tipping the scales was the UC punt, or rather what should have been a punt, late in the first quarter. The Bearcats, leading 6-0, had a fourth-and-8 at the Miami 40-yard line and had lined up to punt. But Miami was called for having 12 players on the field, the ball was moved to the Miami 35, UC changed its mind and decided to go for it, and Pike threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Armon Binns. “That’s not acceptable,” Haywood said of the penalty. “We can’t make those mistakes.”
Intangibles
D
We’re counting two of the special-teams breakdowns — the failed fake punt and the illegal substitution penalty which changed the Bearcats’ minds about punting — in this category, too, because they had such a dramatic impact on the game.
— Pete Conrad
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Comments