Senior quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh is set to start against the Western Michigan Broncos Saturday. (Michael Griggs / The Miami Student)
Prom dates and football have this in common: it's tough to score when playing out of your league.
After failing to post a single point in either of its first two non-conference games, the Miami University football team knows this all too well. The RedHawks hope to leave the past behind them, however, as they now prepare to kick off MAC play Saturday against the Western Michigan Broncos.
"We match up well, we're excited," junior captain Jordan Gafford said. "We played two pretty good offenses the first two weeks. Western Michigan definitely has talented guys on offense but we think that we can attack them a little more and really play aggressive."
To give his team a mental fresh start to the season, Head Coach Mike Haywood is breaking the schedule into four "quarters." The first two out-of-conference games were the first quarter; Miami's next two road games against MAC opponents are the second quarter. Haywood urged his team to leave the first quarter behind because it is in the books and there is nothing they can do about it anymore.
"As fragile as this team is from a psychological point of view, you have to wipe away all the adversity from the previous games and attack this season in different segments," Haywood said. "They aren't mentally tough enough to look at it as a total big picture."
The first-year head coach attributed both of his team's losses to mental issues. He said he believes they started each contest well but folded after costly turnovers. Helping his young players learn how to overcome these adverse situations is a top priority and a daily point of emphasis.
"It's a psychological deal," Haywood said. "We start doing things really well. We're moving the ball really well and playing well on defense. All of a sudden there are turnovers that happen and the team just falls apart. When we start fighting through that adversity we will become a better football team."
Where Miami failed in the second half, Western Michigan excelled. If the RedHawks want to stem this trend of final period falters, it must do so against a team that outscored its opponents 19-6 in the second halves of its first two games. Conversely, the Red and White have ample opportunity for another strong start, as the Broncos fell 48-7 in the first halves of those same two games.
WMU is led by senior quarterback Tim Hiller who ranks in the top three among active career leaders in six of 10 NCAA passer categories. The gunslinger, who was nominated on four pre-season award watch-lists, plays behind five offensive linemen who all weigh at least 300 lbs. Gafford noted from film study that Hiller releases the ball quickly, which means the RedHawk defense must vary pre-snap reads and put pressure on him in the backfield.
"From a defensive point of view, our No. 1 emphasis is to stop the run and provide pressure on the quarterback," Haywood said. "Western's quarterback is a big tall player who sits in the pocket and throws the ball well. We need to flush him out of the pocket and keep him on the run."
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While the Bronco passing attack looms as a threat, the WMU rushing attack appears to be a weakness. Western Michigan ran for only 60 yards on 53 carries in its opening two games.
The Miami backfield continues its weekly remodeling. Junior running back Thomas Merriweather reclaimed the starting role after impressing Haywood against Boise State University. Senior Andre Bratton is listed as day-to-day with a groin injury and his status for Saturday is in question. If he is unable to play, freshman Danny Green will back up Merriweather along with freshman Roman Lawson.
Senior Daniel Raudabaugh is scheduled to start at quarterback for the RedHawks after being pulled from Saturday's game in favor of freshman back-up Zac Dysert. Both signal callers threw two interceptions against the Boise Broncos. Haywood said Dysert's allotted amount of future playing time depends on the performance of Raudabaugh.
Converting on third down served as another point of emphasis in practice this week. Gafford referred to this as the "money down." He said the team watches its opponents on tape to discover their tendencies on third down plays and then practices those situations on the field. Miami allowed Boise to convert five of 10 third down plays, three of which resulted in touchdowns. On offense, the RedHawks improved on their meager 2-15 conversion rate from the season opener to post a 7-15 rate against the Broncos.
Miami's puts its unblemished conference record on the line at 7 p.m. Saturday in Kalamazoo, Mich. Hoping to avoid another stampede, the RedHawks look to score their first points and claim their first victory against the Broncos.
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