Students of Mid-American Conference football may be wondering if there is any such thing as an underdog when it comes to the MAC in 2019. As far as the Miami RedHawks football team is concerned, either they don’t care or they kind of like being an underdog.
Playing at rival Ohio, a media preseason favorite to claim the 2019 MAC crown, Miami again overcame the odds -- this time with a 24-21 victory in the Battle of the Bricks.
Sam Sloman’s 53-yard field goal with . . .
Miami’s defense created two turnovers, harassed Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke in the passing game and limited damage from the ‘Cat’s productive rushing attack. MU’s offense, meanwhile hit two big pass plays and got a pair of touchdowns from Jaylon Bester.
Miami never trailed, but it also never led by more than seven points. The resilient Bobcats quickly responded to tie MU after each RedHawk touchdown.
Ohio, in fact, out-gained the visitors 374-278 overall and had a 36:07-23:53 advantage in time of possession. Those kind of statistics, however, are nothing new to the 2019 RedHawks, who have seemed to find a way in conference play.
Often, that way involves turnovers, and such was the case in Wednesday’s contest. Ohio lost two fumbles, with the first coming just short of the Miami end zone on OU’s opening drive. The RedHawks also ended Ohio’s third possession with a hit on Rourke that resulted in another fumble recovery by Miami.
This time, the visitors quickly turned the miscue into seven points as Jaylon Bester broke off a 45-yard touchdown run on the next play.
Ohio responded with its own touchdown. DeMontre Tuggle’s 50-yard run was the key chunk in a 75-yard drive. Rourke hit Tyler Walton on a 4-yard slant for the score.
Rourke completed 15-of-27 passes on the night, providing 133 yards and one TD. He also led the Bobcats in rushing with 16 carries for 89 yards -- much of it in the second half to keep Ohio drives moving.
The two teams were deadlocked at 7-7 going into the locker room, but Miami moved 75 yards on 10 plays for another score to open the second half. Gabbert his Jack Sorenson for the final 21 yards. Although it was originally ruled incomplete, replays clearly showed Sorenson, who grabbed a deflection, in control with one foot in the end zone.
Gabbert, Miami’s first true freshman to start the season at quarterback, completed 10-of-18 for 149 yards with one TD on the night.
Ohio tied the contest at 14-all with a Rourke one-yard run at 13:39 of the final quarter, but Miami quickly regained a seven-point advantage by covering 75 yards in two plays with its next possession. Most of the distance came on the first play as Gabbert found James Maye deep over the middle for a 63-yard strike. After an Ohio penalty, Bester stepped through a tackle to go in from seven-yards out.
Although it took a bit longer, the Bobcats responded with their own 75-yard scoring drive. Rourke kept the ‘Cats moving with several runs and finished the trip with a 9-yard dash around the right side.
There was 8:58 left when Miami started a decisive 10-play drive. Bester and Tyre Shelton carried five times, while Gabbert found Sorenson twice before Ohio halted the ‘Hawks at the Bobcats 35-yard line with 3:48 remaining.
With relatively good weather conditions for November, Miami head coach Chuck Martin sent Sloman onto the field, and he split the uprights from 53-yards out.
Ohio had moved the ball well much of the night, especially with key runs by Rourke. Five plays into the next drive, however, he was sacked by Ryan McWood and Kameron Butler. Both, along with Myles Reid, had double-digit tackles on the night.
A false start penalty followed, and suddenly the host were facing third-and-23. Two incompletions later, Miami took over and used all but five seconds to close out the win.
With the victory, Miami (5-4, 4-1 MAC) moves a game in front of its closest challengers in the East, with head-to-head wins over all but winless Akron and Bowling Green, both of which it has yet to play.
Ohio falls to 4-5 overall and 3-2 MAC.
"Obviously, we want to win a MAC Championship every year, we want to win every game every year," said Ohio head coach Frank Solich, now in his 15th year at the Bobcats helm. "We're at a point in time where right now, that doesn't look like it's going to get done. We're going to need an awful lot of help to get into the championship game, but the next game will be here. It'll come and we need to get ready to play it. We're not a group of guys that will not respond in a positive manner to try to win football games and try to play this season out.
>> Wednesday's contest was played in front of a packed student section on the 150th anniversary of college football, and Rourke wanted to take the time to thank the fans for their support following the game."I just wanted to say that I appreciated the fan support that we had today," said Rourke. "The atmosphere was really, really awesome, and whoever had a hand in creating the buzz for the game and getting the fans there, we really appreciate it. It was really awesome to be a part of, and one of the positives of the game was being able to be a part of that. We're grateful for that.
>> Sorenson, one of Miami's top returning receivers, has missed considerable time since getting injured early this season. Once decimated by injuries, the RedHawks have been getting healthier in recent weeks, and Sorenson's return as an experienced target is particularly welcome. That experience and physical skill showed on his crucial touchdown catch.