|
WHEN
MIAMI IS ON OFFENSE:
There is an apparent QB controversy going into this week’s game. Mike Kokal
started every game for the RedHawks last year with the exception of one game he
sat out with severe headaches, and has started Miami’s first two games this
season. However, Kokal was pulled in the 4th quarter last week, and
backup Daniel Raudabaugh brought Miami from 16 points back.
Before
being pulled, Kokal was 17 for 30, with 1 touchdown and 1 pick against
Minnesota, while accumulating 196 yards. Raudabaugh was more effective: 13 for
24 with 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, amassing 222 yards.
Raudabaugh
should be familiar to Cincinnati fans. The one game Kokal sat out last year was
against the Bearcats. However, Raudabaugh underwhelmed, going 21 for 47, with 2
interceptions. Raudabaugh threw no TDs, and was sacked four
times.
The
backfield is also questionable for the RedHawks. Senior starter Brandon Murphy
left last Saturday with a banged up knee, and when he reappeared on the
sidelines, it was on crutches. If Murphy can’t go, sophomore Andre Bratton will
see the majority of the snaps. Bratton was effective spotting Murphy against
Minnesota, carrying the ball 12 times, and gaining 50 yards. Bratton also gave
the RedHawks a temporary lead in the first extra session, scoring a touchdown on
a 4 yard run.
Whether
it’s Kokal or Raudabaugh throwing the football, they will be firing at a fairly
young receiving corps. This year’s starters: Jared Elliott, Armand Robinson, and
Dustin Woods combined for just 2 catches, both by Woods, last year against
Cincinnati. Woods has been the most active of the starters this year, catching
11 passes for 121 yards. He scored his lone touchdown of the season in the
second quarter against Minnesota. Robinson, a redshirt freshman, has 8 catches,
and was on the receiving end of Raudabaugh’s first collegiate touchdown toss
last week.
Other
youngsters expecting to see playing time are true freshman Chris Givens, who
caught his first career touchdown against Minnesota, true freshman Jamal Rogers
who caught his first two collegiate passes last week, and redshirt freshman
Eugene Harris, who against Minnesota caught three passes for 76
yards.
Another
target in the Miami passing attack is junior tight end Tom Crabtree. Crabtree
has caught six passes so far this year, including five against Minnesota, which
tied a career best.
The
RedHawk’s offensive line has been surprisingly effective this year, after being
one of the most porous in the country in 2006. Mike Kokal was sacked three times
in week one against Ball St., but last week against Minnesota neither Kokal nor
Raudabaugh was sacked once. The last time the Miami O-Line did not surrender a
sack was 2005 vs. Ohio. |
WHEN
CINCINNATI IS ON OFFENSE: Wake Forest transfer Ben Mauk will be the Bearcat quarterback. Mauk had 10
starts in 18 appearances in his four years at Wake running a somewhat pedestrian
offense.
This
will be his third start as a Bearcat as he continues to make a medical comeback
many felt was bleak.
In
his first two starts Mauk has shown he knows how to run Brian Kelly's no
huddle-spread offense and for the most part keep the Bearcats out of
trouble.
While
he seems to be fine, you never know and Mauk could be pulled for back-up Tony Pike at any time if needed.
Pike
didn't play in the Oregon State game but went 6 of 9 for 57 yards and also
had 3 carries for 67 yards in the teams opener.
Primary
targets early are Marty Gilyard and Marcus Barnett with the always dependable
Dominick Goodman ready to get his share.
Gilyard
is the talk of the fans as he enjoyed a breakout game in the opener and still
hasn't reached his full potential after missing last
season.
Senior
Antwuan Giddens was expected to make a huge impact but has been left behind by
the play of the youngsters on the team.
Giddens
who had only one catch last year after recording 20 as a sophomore along with
freshmen Armon Binns and senior Mike Daniels should also see action.
.
The
offensive line returns three year starter Digger Bujnoch at left tackle. The
senior’s father, Glenn, played on the offensive line for the Bengals for
eight years. Trevor Canfield earned 2-nd team All-Big East honors last season
also returns.
The
third returnee is sophomore right tackle Jeff Linkenbach who missed the Oregon
State game with a slight injury. He was replaced by junior Khalil El-Amin.
Newcomers
to the starting line-up are sophomore center Chris Jurek and senior Ken Rodriguez. Jurek has been in a battle all preseason for the center
position and won out over Jason Kelce.
The
Bearcats have three senior running backs all with defined roles. Butler Benton and Greg Moore will get the bulk of the carries as Bradley Glatthaar is
used for short yardage. All three are being pushed by sophomore Jacob Ramsey.
The
Bearcats also have a deep and talented group of tight-ends headed by senior
Earnest Jackson and Connor Barwin. Doug Jones has great size and hands and
could also line up in the backfield as a fullback.
|
|
WHEN
CINCINNATI HAS THE BALL: Much
of Miami’s success will lie in whether or not junior linebacker Joey Hudson is
able to go. Hudson had not seen a lot of tackles before being hurt vs.
Minnesota, but his presence was certainly making life easier on OLB’s Caleb Bostic and Clayton Mullins, who have combined for 51 tackles in two games this
year. Bostic currently leads the MAC with 13.5 tackles per
game.
If
Hudson is unavailable, his replacement will likely be Chris Shula, son of Dave
and grandson of Don. Shula was very effective filling in after Hudson’s injury
last week, with 11 solo tackles and one assisted tackle.
If
Hudson is unable to play, look out for junior walkon Mickey Mann to see plenty
of reps spotting Shula.
Several
other players had career days against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. Free
safety Jordan led all Miami defenders with 13 tackles at Minnesota. Last year,
as a freshman, Gafford had nine tackles all season. Strong safety Robbie Wilson
also tallied a career high in tackles with 12 against the
Gophers.
On
the corners will be Jeff Thompson and Jarrid Gaines. Thompson has the lone Miami
interception this season, picking it up at Minnesota. Wendell Brunson will also
see significant action, as he was fighting Thompson for the starting role all
throughout the preseason.
One
name to watch out for is Brandon Stephens. Stephens, a redshirt freshman, has
potential that screams for him to see more and more of the field. Through two
games, Stephens has amassed only two tackles but it is expected he will see more
and more plays as the season progresses.
There
could possibly be a change on the defensive line this week. The two deeps
released by Miami’s athletic department indicate that Martin Channels, the 6’0,
300+ big boy from Xexia, Ohio will be the starting nose tackle, replacing Mark Paun, who started the first two weeks. Channels, despite his size, is awfully
quick off the line, and has four tackles this year, to just one for Paun.
However, because of Channel’s size, he is prone to stamina problems, so expect
Paun to still get in for his fair share of snaps.
The
rest of the line should look the same with Joe Coniglio and Travis Craven at the
ends, and Ben Huddle at the right tackle position. |
WHEN MIAMI
HAS THE BALL: Terrill Byrd is a force to be reckoned with and is joined by Adam Hopple. Both
players have great strength and explosion off the line that causes offensive
linemen problems.
The
starting defensive ends are seniors Anthony Hoke and Angelo Craig. Both do
a nice job getting penetration.
The
Bearcats could play eight or nine players across the front. Others expected to
see action are senior Jon Newton, sophomore Ricardo Mathews, junior Lamonte Nelms, and junior Torry Cornett.
The
linebacker corps will utilize a number of players. Andre Revels and Ryan Manalac have been battling since the spring for the starting nod and Revels
looks to have a very slight advantage at this time..
Corey Smith is the leader of the linebackers and has been a steady player since his
freshman season. Smith was named 3rd team Freshman All-American by Football News
two years ago before battling an injury last season. Backing up Smith will be
senior Jon Carpenter, whose brother Bobby plays linebacker for the Dallas
Cowboys.
The
“sam” linebacker will depend upon Leo Morgan’s health. If Morgan can’t go,
Delbert Ferguson will get the call.
Junior
Mike Mickens anchors one cornerback spot. Mickens is a two- time 2nd team
All-BIG EAST choice and is off to a great start in 2007. DeAngelo Smith returns as the other cornerback. Smith broke open the Rutgers
game last year when he returned a Mike Tell pass for an 84 yard Bearcat
touchdown,
Haruki Nakamura is back and having a great start to his senior season. As a three
year starter the Lakewood St. Edward product has proven he can play at the
college level and excel. He is joined by Cedric Tolbert and Anthony Williams. Aaron Webster is still working his way back from a knee injury he
suffered during bowl prep and Evan Sparks provide depth. Webster is a star
in the making and once he's back fully from his injury will fight for the
starting spot. |
|
SPECIAL
TEAMS:
The term Jekyll and Hyde barely scratches the surface in describing Miami’s
special teams through three weeks. Dr. Jekyll has come in the form of punter
Jake Richardson. Richardson is averaging 46 yards per punt. His long came
against Ball St. where he boomed a 62 yard kick to pin the Cardinals inside
their own 5 yard line.
Mr.
Hyde has appeared in the body of sophomore kicker Trevor Cook. Cook is 3 for 7
on the year. He also missed an extra point against Minnesota, which
theoretically could have won the game in regulation for the RedHawks. Cook also
missed a 33 yard attempt in the second overtime which would have clinched the
game for Miami. |
SPECIAL
TEAMS:
The
Bearcats have enjoyed some great play from their special teams. The
problem is most of it came during the Oregon State game. Jake Rogers hit
for a 55 yard field goal attempt after almost losing his job from his
performance the week before. The coaching staff feels he's there guy but
we'll see if he can keep his spot for the entire season.
One
area of major improvement came on the punt team as the Bearcats did a great job
of covering Kevin Huber's punt and recovered a fumble in last week’s game.
Huber has a super strong leg with NFL possibilities in the
future.
The
Bearcats also blocked a punt attempted in last week’s game and fell on it in the
end zone for a touchdown.
If
things are on the Bearcats have a strong group and can use their special teams
as a major advantage. |
|
MIAMI
CAN WIN IF: Daniel
Raudabaugh gets the nod at QB, and Andre Bratton can find a way to effectively
replace Brandon Murphy. Raudabaugh proved against Minnesota he can do some
things with the football through the air that Kokal simply cannot. However, it
will not matter who is throwing the ball for Miami if Bratton cannot open up
that passing game with a good ground attack.
On
the defensive end, Miami must be prepared for a much more balanced attack than
they saw last year from the Bearcats. Last year, UC ran on almost every down,
only throwing the ball 11 times. This year, with Ben Mauk under center, and
Brian Kelly coaching, the Bearcat attack will be much more balanced. |
CINCINNATI
CAN WIN IF:
The Bearcats need to continue to stay within themselves. The
defense was expected to be the main reason for the teams success and has used
their speed and abilities to shut down their first two foes. This is the
same group for the most part that was on the field at Miami two years ago that
left with their tail between their legs. They have not forgotten that game
and will look to take it to the RedHawks again.
The
Bearcats also need to keep from turning the ball over on offense. Miami
has talent but if the Bearcats start turning the ball over Miami will feed off
of these mistakes. The offense enjoyed some great success in week one, but
saw some issues in week two. Somewhere in between will give the Bearcats
great balance and a win. |
