2009 NCAA - Miami (Ohio)
Sometimes you swing and miss. That's what happened to Miami (Ohio) after largely-successful coach Terry Hoeppner went to Indiana. Hoeppner was in the midst of resurrecting the IU program when he was diagnosed with cancer and eventually lost the battle. Miami promoted young assistant Shane Montgomery, and in four years, he won only 17 of 48 games. Does anyone remember Ben Roethlisberger? It was just five short years ago that the RedHawks lost only to Iowa and were ranked in the top-15 in the country after thrashing Louisville in the bowl game. In steps Mike Haywood, a well-thought-of and well-travelled assistant. He's been cutting his teeth most recently at Notre Dame as offensive coordinator for the last four years.
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Miami (Ohio)
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The RedHawks scored just 18 ppg last year, a ghastly 107th in the country. Daniel Raudabaugh returns as the quarterback, but after throwing for less than 2,000 yards and having more interceptions than touchdowns (9 to 8), his grip is far from secure on the job. The O-line is young, and the skill players are below normal Miami standards. On defense, Haywood talked Carl Reese out of his four-year retirement to be the coordinator. Reese has worked with Haywood at LSU and Texas previously. The linebackers and secondary figure to be okay, if not solid, but the D-line is an area of concern. Miami had just 11 sacks last year, ranking 108th, and lost both defense ends. |
| ASK the bookie? - A neutral site game against Kentucky in the opener means that the RedHawks won't play at Yager Stadium until October 3rd, which is a visit from arch-rival and Orange Bowl participant Cincinnati. If Haywood's troops don't get too down on what he's trying to implement after the first six weeks (1-5 or 0-6 start is conceiveable), then things soften up later. Four of the last five are at home and the RedHawks could be a live dog in November. |
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