BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
J. Baker has played in 39 football games at Miami University. In a way, this week's is the biggest.
Miami (5-1) comes down to Cincinnati to play the Bearcats (0-7) at Nippert Stadium on Saturday (1 p.m., Channel 19).
Baker, a senior safety from Princeton High, looks at it this way:
"For Jay Hall and me, this is the big game. We're seniors. This is bragging rights for the rest of your life. This is one you've got to get. This is one everyone's going to remember."
So unless Baker and Hall, a wide receiver who played at Walnut Hills, want to hear about how they lost to 0-7 UC for the next 50 years, the RedHawks better win Saturday.
Most expect them to do just that. After all, UC is allowing 48.7 points a game (dead last in the nation) and hasn't come close to winning. But Baker doesn't expect a blowout. Why?
"It's UC-Miami."
Miami leads the rivalry 54-41-7. But UC has won each of the past two games, both in multiple overtimes.
You have to go back to 1991, when Miami won 22-9, to find a UC-Miami game decided by more than one touchdown. You have to go back to 1971, when Miami won 43-7, to find a true blowout.
"This is one of the most heated, demanding, intense football games of the year," MU coach Randy Walker said. "It's one of the special games."
That's something players learn quickly. Miami quarterback Mike Bath is from Celina, Ohio, and he will start his first UC game Saturday. But he knows the importance of the game.
"They're our No. 1 opponent," Bath said. "There's a lot of southwestern Ohio pride on the line."
Bath's play could be key Saturday. UC's defense will likely try to stop Miami's star, running back Travis Prentice, at all costs. If Bath can get the passing game rolling, the RedHawks will be in good shape.
After struggling much of the year, Bath had his best game against Ball State. He completed 17 of 26 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns. "I think a lot of that is confidence," he said.
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