The numbers are dismal. Jay Peterson knows it, but he can see brighter days ahead.

Peterson is the Miami University football team’s defensive coordinator. The RedHawks are allowing 37.6 points and 500.1 yards per game. Today, they will host unbeaten Ohio.

“We are getting better,” Peterson said. “I know statistically it doesn’t look like it, but that’s perception for other folks. We turn on the tape and we’re not that far off. We’re one play here, one play there.

“We know where we’re getting to. We have great faith and confidence that we’re going to show marked improvement. The fruits of our labor will show.”

Chris Wade is leading the squad in total tackles with 75. Fellow outside linebacker Pat Hinkel is next with 47 on a defense that does have considerable experience. Every current defensive starter is a returning letterman except for freshman free safety Marshall Taylor.

“We’ve got to tackle better and read our keys and fit it better,” Peterson said. “We’ve got to be in our gaps, and then when we are in our gaps, we’ve got to get off blocks and make plays. We’re void of that right now, but we are working on those things, and the kids are all in.”

Peterson is known for his intensity and takes the defense’s struggles personally.

“It is very frustrating,” he said. “As a guy who holds himself accountable as a defensive coordinator and a play caller, you think, ‘Man, is there something I can do to help them?’ You want to make the perfect call, but there are no perfect calls in football. We know that, and we’ve just got to execute the calls that we do have and make plays.”

Today’s Battle of the Bricks challenge is a big one. OU is ranked 23rd nationally while putting up 36.4 points and 448.1 yards per contest with a high-profile quarterback (Tyler Tettleton).

Peterson said the Bobcats’ accomplishments demand respect, but that doesn’t mean the MU defense can’t be successful.

“It’s all about us,” Peterson said. “We’ve got to take care of us.”

The 6-foot-4, 172-pound Taylor, from Cordele, Ga., is the RedHawks’ tallest defensive back. He’s been pressed into extensive duty since strong safety Justin Bowers went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 5.

“I’m doing my best, but I want to do better,” said Taylor, who has 27 total tackles. “I strive for perfection. I’m trying to be the best safety in the world.”

Taylor said he is a natural cornerback. He credited defensive backs coach Ron Carpenter for helping him make the switch to free safety.

“I’m more of a cover guy, but I know how to tackle,” Taylor said. “I just don’t have the pop yet. That’s going to come with being in the weight room more and more.”

He played in the band — drums, tuba and baritone — during his middle-school years and didn’t take up football until the 10th grade.

“He brings range and athleticism, but he certainly doesn’t bring experience,” Peterson said. “He’s learning on the run. He hasn’t seen everything that he’s going to see.”

Taylor is like Peterson. He believes the Miami defense is getting better every day and a breakout performance is coming, perhaps even today.

“The coaches are teaching us the right way to run a defense,” Taylor said. “We’re just missing tackles right now. Once we do better tackling, we’ll be one of the top defenses in the nation.”