James Gardner pulls down one of three Gus Ragland touchdown passes. (MVSmith/MRO) By MIKE SMITH
Gus Ragland and Kenny Young keyed a 24-point run as the Miami RedHawks knocked off Akron 24-14 Tuesday at Yager Stadium.
The verdict dropped Akron (5-4, 4-2 MAC) one game behind Ohio in the MAC East Division. Those two teams will meet next Tuesday.
Miami, meanwhile, kept alive its hopes for bowl eligibility. It was the second straight win for MU, which still needs to win its last two regular season games to reach six wins and bowl eligibility.
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Gus Ragland and Kenny Young keyed a 24-point run as the Miami RedHawks knocked off Akron 24-14 Tuesday at Yager Stadium.
The verdict dropped Akron (5-4, 4-2 MAC) one game behind Ohio in the MAC East Division. Those two teams will meet next Tuesday.
Miami, meanwhile, kept alive its hopes for bowl eligibility. It was the second straight win for MU, which still needs to win its last two regular season games to reach six wins and bowl eligibility.
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Jordan George leaps in front of Luke Mayock to pick off a Miami pass. (MVSmith/MRO) "We had a really nice win today, and it's something to build off of," Miami head coach Chuck Martin said.
No small part of Thursday’s match-up was related to each team’s quarterback spot. Akron went without senior Thomas Woodson, who was suspended one game for a “violation of team rules.”
Miami, meanwhile, used Gus Ragland, who was injured four weeks ago against Bowling Green. Without the junior, MU not only lost that game, but two of the next three, as well.
Ragland was somewhat rusty early and threw two interceptions in the first half. Ultimately, he put together a decent return. The junior completed 19 of 32 passes with the two picks and three touchdown tosses.
"I was able to run around a little bit and (the leg) felt better than I thought it would during the game," Ragland said. "Coach did a great job managing some of the runs that I usually do ... and finding other ways to attack."
No small part of Thursday’s match-up was related to each team’s quarterback spot. Akron went without senior Thomas Woodson, who was suspended one game for a “violation of team rules.”
Miami, meanwhile, used Gus Ragland, who was injured four weeks ago against Bowling Green. Without the junior, MU not only lost that game, but two of the next three, as well.
Ragland was somewhat rusty early and threw two interceptions in the first half. Ultimately, he put together a decent return. The junior completed 19 of 32 passes with the two picks and three touchdown tosses.
"I was able to run around a little bit and (the leg) felt better than I thought it would during the game," Ragland said. "Coach did a great job managing some of the runs that I usually do ... and finding other ways to attack."
Kenny Young goes in for a third quarter touchdown. The junior RB led Miami in both rushing and receiving. (MVSmith/MRO) Another key component of Miami’s offense was running back Kenny Young. The junior led MU in both rushing and receiving. Young gained 100 yards on 14 rushing attempts. He also registered 98 yards and a score as a receiver.
"Every time the dude touched the ball, they couldn't stop him, so we just kind of kept feeding him the ball in different ways," Ragland said. "It's awesome having a guy that dynamic in your offense."
Young's combined 198 yards was a big chunk of Miami’s 420 total yards. Akron, on the other hand, registered 273 yards.
Of that total, just 55 net yards came on the ground. Freshman quarterback Kato Nelson, however, provided 218 yards and a score through the passing game. He completed 19 of 38 pass attempts with one touchdown. However, he was sacked six times – no easy task given his elusive skill set.
"The problem with him is (when) you drop back in coverage at all, he takes off running," said Martin, who noted his staff had to do some late adjustments after learning Nelson might start.
Miami defenders registered six sacks against Akron despite QB Kato Nelson's scrambling skills. (MVSmith/MRO) "He's a dart. (When) he gets going north and south, he's getting yards in a hurry.(But) we settled in and we chased him around. It was like Rocky Balboa chasing a chicken."
"He was a very dynamic athlete," said defensive end Doug Costin, who registered three of MU's six sacks. "We just came in with the mindset that as long as we kept him in front of us, that one of us was going to have a route to the ball. If the first guy didn't get him down, the second or third guy would come in and finish the job."
Akron got on the board first, taking advantage of Ragland first interception. Shawn Featherstone returned the pick 41 yards to the Miami 35. Six plays later, Nelson went up the middle seven yards for a TD.
Miami quickly responded, using eight plays to cover 70 yards. Ragland hit Sam Martin in the right corner to cover the final 19 yards. On the night, Miami was three-of-three in redzone opportunities.
"When you've got targets like I've got in the red zone ... those guys make my job a lot easier," Ragland said.
"He was a very dynamic athlete," said defensive end Doug Costin, who registered three of MU's six sacks. "We just came in with the mindset that as long as we kept him in front of us, that one of us was going to have a route to the ball. If the first guy didn't get him down, the second or third guy would come in and finish the job."
Akron got on the board first, taking advantage of Ragland first interception. Shawn Featherstone returned the pick 41 yards to the Miami 35. Six plays later, Nelson went up the middle seven yards for a TD.
Miami quickly responded, using eight plays to cover 70 yards. Ragland hit Sam Martin in the right corner to cover the final 19 yards. On the night, Miami was three-of-three in redzone opportunities.
"When you've got targets like I've got in the red zone ... those guys make my job a lot easier," Ragland said.
Brian Bell (10) and friends bring down Miami RB Alonzo Smith. (MVSmith/MRO)
It was the start of a big run for MU, although the hosts got just three more of their 24-point run before halftime. Sam Sloman’s 28-yard field goal as time expired left Miami in front 10-7.
Ragland hit Young on a 30-yard TD pass at 6:45 of the third quarter and James Gardner held on to a 19-yard Ragland pass with 34 seconds left in the third quarter for the hosts' final score. Originally ruled incomplete, the call was reversed after a review and Miami owned a 24-7 lead.
Akron managed one more score. Nelson hit a diving Tra'Von Chapman on a 30-yard play to finish a quick 2:19 drive across 85 yards. That left UA down by 10 with 13:09 remaining, but Miami's defense tightened up and neutralized the Zips in the remaining time.
Ragland hit Young on a 30-yard TD pass at 6:45 of the third quarter and James Gardner held on to a 19-yard Ragland pass with 34 seconds left in the third quarter for the hosts' final score. Originally ruled incomplete, the call was reversed after a review and Miami owned a 24-7 lead.
Akron managed one more score. Nelson hit a diving Tra'Von Chapman on a 30-yard play to finish a quick 2:19 drive across 85 yards. That left UA down by 10 with 13:09 remaining, but Miami's defense tightened up and neutralized the Zips in the remaining time.
 Akron's Kyle Ritz works against the rush of Ikeem Allen. (MVSmith/MRO) |  Senior wide receiver Austin Wolf was playing close to his Lebanon, Ohio home Tuesday. Wolf caught three passes for 45 yards. (MVSmith/MRO) |
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