Bowl Bid Marks Turnaround for Miami University Football Program

BY JACK REYERING
Miami University journalism student
Something changed for the Miami University RedHawk's football program on Oct. 15.

Coming into their game against Kent State, the RedHawks were a dismal 0-6 on the season. They found themselves on the brink of 0-7 with only 1:42 remaining in the fourth quarter against the Golden Flashes.

A quick out-route by wide receiver Kenny Young marked the start of what would be a magical turnaround for the RedHawks.

Sophomore quarterback Gus Ragland connected with Young who caught the ball on the Golden Flashes’ 49- yard line and proceeded to tight-rope the sideline all the way to the end zone for a RedHawk’s touchdown. The score gave the RedHawks a 18-14 lead with just 1:34 remaining.

Sophomore defensive back Deondre Daniels sealed the win on the ensuing Kent State possession with an interception on fourth down.

Signs of life

Third-year coach Chuck Martin believed in his team after showing their first signs of life.

“You heard me after Kent saying, 'We’re very close to being a good football team. We just got some things that we have to learn how to do,' ” Martin said.

It helped having some reinforcements join the ranks. Returning from a spring ACL injury, Ragland would throw for 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions, enroute to a historical mid-season turnaround.

“When I got the injury, it was always the goal from day one to get back in October,” said Ragland, a 6-1, 211-pound graduate of Cincinnati's Moeller High School.

Flash forward to Tuesday, Nov. 22, and the RedHawks found themselves in a similar situation.

Only this time, they had a lot more to fight for.

Having reeled off five straight wins, the team found itself within a win of becoming bowl eligible for the first time in five years.

With just under 6 minutes to go in the fourth, Ragland connected with Sam Shizzo for a 27-yard touchdown, putting the RedHawks up 21-20 against Ball State. The RedHawks would hold on for the win. In doing so they cemented their place in history becoming the first team ever to start 0-6 and finish the season 6-6.

“I don’t know how we’re here, to be honest with you,” Martin said following the win. “You guys in this room know because you’re the ones that have been around me every week. I knew we had a chance to be a good MAC team this year.”

Bowl bound

Now the RedHawks have a Dec. 26 date with the Mississippi State University Bulldogs in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

It’s been an unlikely turnaround for the RedHawks. The program has been living in the cellars of college football for four years. Prior to the Kent State game, the team had gone 5-36 over the past four seasons. Now, they have post-season life.

Senior wide receiver Rokeem Williams believes this team always had it in them.

“Even when we were 0-6 we’ve always been competitors, and we’ve always had that fight in us,” Williams said. “The difference is that now that we’ve been winning games. We were 0-6, but now that we’ve been winning games, we’ve been seeing the results."

The winning ways haven’t gone unnoticed by Miami students and other fans. According to the MAC website, 13,824 fans came to see the RedHawks play Ball State at Miami's Yager Stadium. Although that number wasn’t particularly high, Martin was excited by the fan turnout considering the game fell two days before Thanksgiving.

“Students stuck around. It was Thanksgiving,” Martin said. “That was the biggest student section we had easily in my time here. It wasn’t even close, and they were loud, and they were into it, and for those kids to stick around for us means everything for us.”

Reasons to go to the game

For the students who have been craving another sports team to be excited about, the game was very memorable. After the victory, students poured onto the field to celebrate with the players.

Jake Sambrookes is a fifth-year on Miami’s campus. After years of unimpressive football in Oxford, he finally had a reason to go to the game.

“It was actually the first time I’ve been to a football game since I was a kid and Big Ben was here,” Sambrookes said, referring to RedHawk superstar Ben Roethlisberger, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. “It was fun tailgating before the game and then going on the field after they won.”

Martin put it this way: “When you put something on the field that’s worth coming to watch, people will come watch you."

Plenty of payoffs

Even the fans who didn’t make it to the game have been paying attention.

“It was cool to watch it with my dad who is a Miami grad,” said senior Chris Atwell. “When he was here they were really good, so it was cool to see him get excited about the RedHawks again.”

All of this bodes well for the future of the program. As they prepare to take on the Bulldogs just a day after Christmas, Martin knows the implications of the match-up for the Miami football program.

“Anytime you step up into the BCS realm and play any BCS team let alone an SEC team, that’s just exciting for your program, your kids,” Martin said. “And to go on the road and recruit. We’re on the road at St. Pete, and that’s pretty cool for high school kids to play an SEC team, that’s a pretty good advantage recruiting. It’s pretty exciting for Miami football.”

The team's website includes information about tickets to the St. Pete bowl game. Game time is 11 a.m., ET, with coverage on ESPN.