Great MU defensive effort not enough

RedHawks offense commits 4 turnovers to increase school-record losing streak to 11.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer Updated 12:56 PM Sunday, October 11, 2009

EVANSTON, Ill. — The Miami University football players and coaches know they are getting close.

That didn’t take the sting out of the RedHawks’ 16-6 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats on a day that saw the Miami defense play well enough to beat Northwestern and probably most other teams in the Big Ten Conference.

“I definitely feel like this is one that we let get away,” head coach Mike Haywood said Saturday, Oct. 10. “(The Wildcats) played a bend-but-don’t-break defense that created some opportunities for turnovers.”

Four turnovers, to be exact, which led to 13 of Northwestern’s points.

The loss was the 11th straight for the RedHawks (0-6 this year), the most in program history.

It also snapped Miami’s five-game winning streak at Ryan Field, which delighted the few fans who did show up.

The crowd, which was smaller on this chilly, cloudy day than the announced attendance of 23,085, watched their team keep the RedHawks out of the end zone practically until the last minute.

In some cases Miami kept itself out of the end zone.

At the end of the first half, for instance, Miami was trailing 10-0 but found itself at the Northwest 16-yard line with 11 seconds remaining.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Zac Dysert had just completed a 22-yard pass to senior Brayden Coombs, but this was not a good day for Dysert.

He had spiked the ball to stop the clock. Then Dysert had to call Miami’s final timeout of the half because although the game clock had not moved, the play clock was running down.

Following the timeout, Dysert dropped back to pass, found no open receivers and scrambled to the 11-yard line.

There were two problems. He did not get out of bounds. And time ran out.

“I was trying to make a play and just kind of lost touch of what I was trying to do,” Dysert said. “Maybe I should have thrown the ball into the end zone and see what would’ve happened.”

Late in the third quarter, Northwestern linebacker Quentin Davie jarred the ball out of Dysert’s hands. Safety Brian Peters picked up the ball and ran it 27 yards to the Miami 27-yard line.

Four plays later, the Wildcats made it 16-0 on a 1-yard sneak by Mike Kafka, the senior quarterback who had scored Northwestern’s other touchdown on a 6-yard keeper in the first quarter.

The RedHawks finally scored with 1:13 remaining when Dysert threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver Andy Cruse. On onside kick by Miami was recovered by Northwestern.

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