Homecoming is supposed to be a weekend of celebration and jubilation.
Alumni return to relive memories for a weekend. For students, it's just one more excuse to spend a weekend in a half-blacked-out haze.
The culmination aof homecoming weekend is supposed to be the football game. Saturday, the football game was more like the nadir of the weekend.
The sparsely populated student section did make a lot of noise-during the free T-shirt toss, the homecoming king and queen announcements and the free BW3 wing give-away.
Everything seemed to be pointing Miami's way heading into this game. After upsetting Bowling Green State University on the road, the RedHawks were poised to be 2-2 in the MAC, tied with Akron atop the MAC East standings. All that stood in the way was Kent State University, who came into Yager Stadium with an impressive 0-3 record in the MAC, and 1-6 record overall. Who was the Golden Flashes previous victim? Perennial powerhouse Delaware State. Although Delaware State did manage to keep the score respectable, losing only 24-3.
The problem wasn't just that Miami lost to a seemingly inferior team. It's not even that the RedHawks lost their homecoming game. In conference play, there is never an easy win.
No, the problem is how the RedHawks lost. Miami turned the ball over six times officially, not counting turnovers on downs, in just about every conceivable way-two interceptions, a fumble 14 yards from the end zone and a fumbled punt at the 5
yard line.
The mistakes Miami made were more mental than physical. Careless passes, loosely holding the football, dropped passes-these are mistakes that do not stem from a lack of physical ability, but a lapse in concentration. Physical errors happen; mental errors shouldn't.
A game that started out so promising turned into a blowout as Kent State scored 21 points in about eight minutes in the second quarter, capitalizing on every Miami mistake.
When a team loses by 33 points, no one person or phase of the game can be blamed, but one thing stuck out in particular Saturday-the play calling.
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The purpose of screen passes and draw plays is to trick the defense-to show them one thing and do another. However, that element of surprise vanishes when an offense is based around screen passes and draw plays. Kent State knew almost
exactly when every screen pass was coming because it seemed like every other pass was a screen.
The RedHawks need to air the ball out more. It may seem obvious, but to score touchdowns, they have to stretch the field vertically. Miami moved the ball sideline to sideline with the best of them Saturday night, but unfortunately, that doesn't count.
Not all is lost. Miami is still only one game behind Akron in the East. But in order to climb up the in the standings, Miami has to win. And to win, the 'Hawks have to score. The RedHawks are going to have to start stretching the field to improve their 18.5 points per game average. If the RedHawks stay conservative, buckle up because this year could get much worse.
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