SB Nation - Dustin Woods

Opponent preview: How much of a difference will special teams make for Miami (Ohio)?

Kevan Lee — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:04:15 -0000

There is a decidedly different atmosphere surrounding the Miami (Ohio) game than there was surrounding the Oregon game. The Ducks coming to town was electric. The RedHawks coming to town is dfisojuer ... /fell asleep on keyboard.

Still, that's no reason not to gameplan the Miamians. Coach Pete would have you think that they are just like any other opponent, and he's right. For the most part. Though the RedHawks are doing nothing particularly well on offense or defense, their special teams could come into play on Saturday. How much will it matter? Can it keep the game close? Let's talk about it.

Miami (OH) vs. No. 12 Boise State

Kickoff: 6:00pm MT, Bronco Stadium
Coverage: TV: KTVB channel 7, Radio: 580 KIDO
Forecast: 92 degrees, sunny
Spread: Broncos by 37

Yes, you read that spread correctly.

Last Week for Miami (Ohio)

Warning: horrendous video quality, also quality of play by Miami (OH)

The RedHawks gave it the old college try for about 15 minutes against Kentucky before falling under the inordinate weight of averageness and being shut out by the final score of 42-0.

Miami suffered its most lopsided season-opening loss since a 61-0 drubbing at Pittsburgh in 1931.

Ah, the 30s.

What did the RedHawks do well? They didn't pass well, throwing for just 126 yards with two INTs. They didn't run very well, either, averaging just 2.8 yards per rush. Defense wasn't particularly good, allowing 488 total yards including 245 on the ground. As far as head coaching debuts go, Mike Haywood's inaugural sideline stinker was downright Kotite-esque.

Perhaps the only tidbit of note was that the RedHawks already are playing like a team with nothing to lose. They converted a fake punt and attempted a flea-flicker (arguably the turning point in the game when it was picked by the Wildcats). Up next: The backward forward pass!

Box Score: ESPN.com

Starting Offense

LT Brandon Brooks
LG Sean Redwine
C Brad Bednar: True freshman
RG Nate Williams
RT Matt Kennedy
QB Daniel Raudabaugh: 13-for-34, 126 yards, 2 INTs vs. Kentucky
WR Chris Givens
WR Eugene Harris
WR Dustin Woods
WR Jamal Rogers: leading receiver versus Kentucky
RB Andre Bratton: Led all Miami players in rushing vs. Kentucky with 37 yards

You might remember Miami head coach Mike Haywood from his stint as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator. Or you might not. Haywood had play-calling duties revoked/eaten by Charlie Weis midway through the season.

All that to tell you that Haywood's specialty is offense and that he is known to think outside the box when it comes to offensive sets. Expect the RedHawks to show a lot of multiple receiver looks and unique formations. Raudabaugh is not a runner, or at least not a particularly skilled one, but he does have some weapons at his disposal, including all four of his top returning receivers from last season.

Starting Defense

LE Morris Council: 2.5 sacks last season
LT Austin Brown: true freshman
RT Martin Channels
RE Matt Kajmowicz
OLB Wes Williams: true freshman
MLB Jerrell Wedge: career-high 15 tackles versus Kentucky
OLB Evan Harris: true freshman
LB Caleb Bostic
CB Brandon Stephens
SS Jordan Gafford
FS Anthony Kokal
CB Jeff Thompson

Bostic is Miami's best defensive player, mostly by default. The RedHawks lost their four leading tacklers from a season ago and looked defeated after falling behind to Kentucky in the second quarter.

Special Teams

K Trevor Cook
P Chris DiCesare
KR Andre Bratton
KR Dustin Woods
PR Dustin Woods

The special teams magic in Miami's 42-0 loss

You might not be able to tell from the final score, but Miami (Ohio) did have a half-decent day on special teams. There was that fake punt conversion. Dustin Woods had a 13 yard average on punt returns. No one died.

In fact, special teams was the only non-unmitigated disaster that the RedHawks put on the field. Give that special teams coach a raise!

The special teams magic of Boise State in their 19-8 win over Oregon

Well, to be fair, not all of it was magic, unless you consider the strange disappearance of Kyle Brotzman's accuracy to be magic (and when I put it that way, who wouldn't?). Brotzman delivered a punt to the four, which resulted in a safety. Michael Choate ran in a two-point conversion. No one died. Give that special teams coach a raise!

Seriously though, the Bronco special teams looked pretty amateur between its regular bouts of greatness. Remember:

Michael Choate's fumbled two-point conversion and fumbled field goal that turned into the most intentional intentional grounding penalty the world has ever seen
Brotzman doffing two field goals
Oregon kick returns that gave you that queasy feeling in your stomach

There is room for improvement with the special teams unit, as there should be after one week of the season. It will be interesting to see how those improvements are made against the RedHawks.

Key matchups

Kyle Wilson vs. Bad decisions by the punter

Boise State's All-American burner was largely held in check by some stellar punting from Oregon. Can Miami punter Chris DiCesare possibly do the same? Will the RedHawks even bother kicking to Wilson?

DiCesare averaged a pedestrian 37 yards per kick against Kentucky. He will have to do better or have five-plus seconds of hangtime to neutralize Wilson.

Boise State's punt coverage vs. Miami's punt return

Woods provided a bright spot for the RedHawks in the return game, although extrapolating any kind of meaningful stat from his Kentucky performance is pointless considering he only had two returns. Still, the potential is there, and Boise State will need to make sure that they keep Woods in mind on the off chance that the Broncos will even have to punt on Saturday.

Also, if punting does figure prominently in the Broncos' game plan, Brotzman showed that he can still hang them up there with the best of them and that he can do so without rolling out. His coffin corner was deadly, and his rugby kicks make grown men weep. Even if Boise State does resort to not converting third downs, they're in good hands.

Kyle Brotzman vs. Kyle Brotzman

Whatever is going on in Kyle Brotzman's head needs to be replaced by whatever is going on in Boise-State-fan-with-a-chair's head, which is obviously nothing, and which will obviously help Brotzman when it comes to making makeable field goals.

Blocking things vs. Returning things

Both schools will have an interesting decision to make whether to go after the other team's kicks or sit back and hope for a solid return. Obviously this debate is always at play in no matter what game you watch, but it might be even more important in Saturday's game. Turnovers are a big equalizer when you're working with 37-point spreads, and special teams turnovers can be especially important. If Miami steals a couple off the foot of Brotzman, Boise State will have a much harder time pulling away from the RedHawks. If the Broncos are the ones holding the block party, then this will be over faster than anyone could have expected.

What are we really talking about here?

Few people outside of Graham Watson think that Miami (Ohio) has a chance on Saturday. This special teams debate is not so much a debate over the ultimate breaking point in the matchup between the Broncos and the RedHawks. If anything, it is probably the one area that Miami and Boise State are most similar.

Still, that last statement needs some hedging. The only reason that special teams appears similar is because of the gap between every other comparison between the two schools.

Boise State's offense is better than Miami's defense by leaps and bounds. If Kentucky can roll up 42 points on the RedHawks, then Boise State can muster somewhere in the 50's. Of course, this is all dependent on little things like center-QB exchanges going well and players showing up to play. But you get my drift.
Boise State's defense is better than Miami's offense by so much it is not even funny unless you find really sad comparisons to be funny. If the same unit that played against Oregon faces the same unit that played against Kentucky, the RedHawks will still be searching for their first points of the season come Saturday night. In fact, if there were a way for a team to put fewer points on the board than zero, Miami would probably find a way on Saturday. Again, this is dependent on things remaining the status quo.

Special teams simply presents Miami's best chance to make something happen. Whether that something will affect the scoreboard or the win column is anybody's guess.

Conclusions

I believe I already know the answer to this question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. How much will Miami's special teams affect the game on Satuday?

None. Boise State will kill the RedHawks no matter how many yards Dustin Woods gets on the return.
Some. A good showing by the RedHawks on special teams could hamper Boise State's offense, set up the RedHawks' O in good position, and possibly lead to some easy points.
Tons. This game will be decided on the foot of Miami's Trevor Cook. Sincerely, Trevor Cook's parents.

It's not much of a discussion for many of you, but then again, this game isn't much of a game as far as many Bronco fans are concerned.

That's too bad for reasons I probably did not make clear in this post. I'm really looking forward to this game. I think Miami will pose an interesting opponent for the Broncos thanks to the varied offensive looks and throw-caution-to-the-wind game management. I'm particularly interested in special teams, both to see how Boise State bounces back and to see if Miami can swing some points in its favor through the kicking game.

What factors are you most looking forward to when it comes to Miami? Something? Anything? Curious how Boise State will handle red zone opportunities? Wonder if Miami will score any points?

Let's talk it out in the comments.

Michigan Football Opponent #2: A Maize n Preview of Miami (Ohio)

Maize n Brew Dave — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:09:25 -0000

Due to a number of reasons, the usual Maize n Preview failed to make its appearance for the Utah game. I personally take the blame for the loss. I simply did not know my power. A mistake I will not duplicate.

Maize n Preview! A Misinformed 2008 Preview of Miami (Ohio) at The University of Michigan

University: Miami University
Location: Oxford, OH
Founded: 1809
All Time Football Record: 648-374-44
Team Name: Red Hawks
Conference: MAC
Number of National Championships: 0
Number of MAC Championships: 21
Last League Championship: 2003
First Season of Football: 1881 (0-1)
Last Season: 2007 (6-7)
Head Coach: Shane Montgomery
Stadium: Fred C. Yager (30,012)

via perfectperspectivesaerial.com

Fine Miami Blogs: Miami Hawk Talk

A (Very) Little Insight Into The Miami Redhawks

Since the departure for Indiana of the now deceased Terry Hoeppner (R.I.P) in 2004, Miami’s been through a rough ride. 2005 saw a 7-5 season which was followed by a 2-10 disaster in 2006. But last year saw Miami reach the MAC championship game, and this year Miami returns 17 starters and looks to be one of the best teams in the MAC.

Coaching

Shane Montgomery ran Terry Hoeppner’s offense from ‘01-’04, including the magical 2003 season when the Redhawks put up an obscene 602 points over 14 games (averaging out to 43 points a game)! Their lowest output that season was 3 points versus Iowa then 33 against Bowling Green. The guy can coach offense. To aid him on the defensive side he brought in Jay Hood from basic obscurity as his defensive coordinator. Overall the stats were actually worse than 2006 on defense, but Miami led the MAC in scoring defense, sacks, yards per carry, yards per catch, and was second in total yards per game. Once he got his feet wet and hit the conference schedule, Hood turned out to be a decent coordinator. At least that’s what his stats say. Hood plays an aggressive defense that stacks the line and leaves a lot of man coverage available.

Miami's Offense

Numbers wise, this should be a relatively good Miami offense. While last year wasn’t pretty, the Redhawks offense put up enough points to win six games before falling in the MAC championship. This year the Redhawks have the advantage of 3 returning starters on the line and its two new starters played in 11 and 12 games, respectively last year. It’s a upperclassmen laden bunch with the only youngster being Bob Gulley, who oh-by-the-way started 3 games last year and played in all 12.

On the wings the Redhawks sport some decent receivers, though none of them are considered burners. Even so, the fastest and most dangerous of the group is Dustin Woods, a 5’11 junior who led the team in receiving yards and was second in receptions despite missing time due to injury. The other two options are Eugene Harris and Armand Robinson, both of whom hauled in 35+ passes last year. Miami likes to put a slew of receivers on the field and spread out the defense in their own little modified spread offense. Tight end Tom Crabtree is an option, but not one Miami looks too that often.

The big questions are at running back and quarterback. Daniel Raudabaugh remains the starter for Miami despite throwing three picks against Vandy. He’s tall, lanky, and slow. Hey. Wait a second. Shouldn’t he be starting for us? (I keed, I keed). Last year Raudabaugh passed for almost 2500 yards and rushed for an amazing 27 net yards. Didn’t help that he got popped for at least 22 sacks last year. He’s adequate, but throwing into Michigan’s secondary will probably be just as treacherous as throwing into Vandy’s. And if he’s anything like the 19 for 41 performance he had against Vandy, I get the feeling he could get the hook early. If he goes down, or gets yanked, another statute takes his place.

Even though there are no major injuries at any position on the offense, the Miami running game hasn’t come around. Miami lost its two top rushers to graduation and this has forced sophomore Tom Merriweather into the starting position. Merriweather only touched the ball 10 times against Vandy, but still managed a 5.9 a carry average. He’s got a little bit of speed, but won’t make you turn your head in awe. Merriweather should have a decent year in conference, but will probably fair about the same or a little bit worse against Michigan’s run defense.

Miami's Defense

Despite the heathly number of yards surrendered to an appently legit Vandy team, defense will be this year's calling card for Miami. The RedHawks possess a veteran and substantial defensive line, arguably the best linebacking corps in the MAC, and a good secondary. This group is going to make it difficult on Michigan's young offense.

The Miami defensive line returns three starters, and most critically for this game, mamoth 330 pound DT Martin Channels. If he plays anything like Utah's DT, Michigan's run game is in trouble, I just have visions of David Molk being picked up a thrown into the stands by this guy. While he's no superstar in the making, he's competent as are the rest of his line mates. The Miami D line held MAC foes to the lowest YPC in conference, and returns most of its 2 deep. Miami also has the ability to bring some pressure off the wings with two returning starters in Joe Coniglio (6.5 sacks) and Travis Craven (3.5 sacks). Sure they had trouble containing Nickson in the Vandy game, but so have a lot of teams. A less mobile target in Threet will make them look a lot more competent. They're big enough and veteran enoug to get some penetration, so control of the line of scrimage is not a definite in Michigan's favor.

The linebacking corps is pretty damn good. Two of their starters notched more than 100 tackles including Clayton Mullins's good-holy-god-are-you-kidding-me 144 tackles. Usually you're going to see numbers like this when a team's offense isn't very good, and Miami in 2007 was no exception. But still. Jeebus. That's a lot of tackles. Another reason for the high numbers is the style of Miami's D. The linebackers play close to the line and are very adept a flowing to the gaps. While they're not athletic freaks of nature like Crable was, they are effective and worth watching. One thing worth noting is the linebackers are all big dudes. As a result, though they're not slow, they're not fast or quick either. They have trouble keeping up with speedier Tight Ends and if they get out of their lanes or have to get to a corner quickly, it just ain't going to happen.

Miami's secondary is veteran as well and no stranger to man coverage. because the defense generally and agrressively plays the line of scrimage, the Redhawk's corners tend to find themselves on an island often. And to their credit they are usually up to the challenge. Where they tend to get beat is against burners and taller receivers. They're not to good at the whole PBU thing either. Corner Jeff thompson had 3 picks last year but really isn't a shutdown corner, even though that's what he has to be in this defense. The quality drops off considerably after him, even though the top three corners return. The safeties are good, but more along the lines of additional linebackers and run supporters than ball hawkers. One thing that's also apparent is the secondary's difficulty with containing shifty runners, as Nickson who's got some move's but ain't Pat White bounced around for 166. It's hard to get a read on how this group will fare against Michigan simply because there's not enough data this season. Nickson only threw 16 passes, completing 9 of them for 91 yards. How thesecondary will match up on Saturday is somewhat of a crap shoot but one that seems to favor Michigan.

Miami Special Teams

They exist. Just barely. Place kicker Nate Parseghian was 13 for 20 last year. Not a particularly strong or accurate leg. Why, God, couldn't he have played for Utah? Punting? Jacob Richardson's got a decent leg, but doesn't strike fear into the masses they way the Zoltan does (from his space throne, of course).

Predictions

After re-watching the Utah game and going through Brian's UFR, I am less convinced today than I was on Tuesday that the line will be sufficient to keep Michigan afloat this year. One of the main reasons is the interior of the offensive line. Some of the push Utah got was downright scary. What also makes me a tad nervous is the fact Miami ran up almost as many yards as Vandy did (340 to 360) and managed as many first downs. Just like Utah, Miami's primary means of moving the football was through the air (244 yards in the air). If the Redhawks don't toss three interceptions or waste their downs recovering their own footballs, it might have been a different game.

That said, Michigan should wins this game by two touchdowns. Quarterback play makes or breaks a football team (see: Carolina, South). What's important to realize is Michigan's pass defense is far better than Vanderbilt's (first half against Utah be damned), and Utah's offensive line and running backs aren't nearly as good as Utah's either. So defensively, Michigan has a tremendous edge over Miami's skill position players on offense, and frankly a big advantage on the line.

When Michigan's offense is on the field, I have to admit I'm nervous about the running game. The interior line was adequate from time to time, but there were some glaring problems with maintaining the interior of the line during running plays. And honestly its not like Ortmann or Schilling set the world on fire either. Michigan has to get a better push or the running game isn't going anywhere.

What will help this, surprisingly, is the retun of Kevin Grady. A skull crunching fullback was one of the more practical and entertaining elements of Rodriguez' offense in West Virginia. Grady possesses both the size and the speed to be a big factor in Michigan's running game. While I'm sure he'll be used to kill incoming linebackers, an up the gut hand off or two is certainly in the play book this weekend. Grady's presence should help provide some blocking and easy some of the pressure the line is facing.

Strangely, I feel pretty good about the passing game this week. Even though Michigan is missing its traditional Gazel bounding down the sidelines toward the endzone, Michigan's receivers are better than Miami's corners and safeties. Look for Rodriguez to spread the catches around and get Threet and/or Sheridan some easy throws early to settle them down. Threet is slated to start. If he struggles, on comes Sheridan. But if Threet remains master of his domain, I think rodriguez has to let him complete the game simply for the experience with a rested Notre Dame team waiting a week away.

I think Threet grabs the QB position by the throat this week and doesn't let go. Grady and Brandon Minor get on Track. Junior Hemmingway pulls in another sweet TD and Toney Clemons emerges. The defense breaks someone in half, then doles out pieces of a beaten an broken Raudabaugh to fans as party favors.

Michigan wins 31 - 13.

Poll

Who will make the biggest impact for Michigan against Miami?

Obi Ezeh - LB

19 votes

Steven Threet - QB

25 votes

Terrance Taylor - DT

8 votes

Kevin Grady - RB

11 votes

Brandon Minor - RB

6 votes

Junior Hemmingway - WR

4 votes

Sam McGuffie - RB

26 votes

Morgan Trent/Donovan Warren - DBs

7 votes

Other

2 votes

108 votes | Poll has closed