Saturday, September 18, 1999
RedHawks kicking into overdrive
Miami opens MAC play focused on winning title
BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
While talking to his offensive unit this week, Terry Hoeppner used a race-car analogy.
“We are a high-powered automobile,” the Miami football coach told his players. “We can explode and just score points and get a lot of yards at any minute. But we've got to learn how to drive this car, and a couple times last week we swerved off the road.”
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THE SKINNY
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• Kickoff: 2 p.m. at Yager Stadium (30,012), Oxford.
• Records: MU 1-1,
Eastern Michigan 0-1.
• TV: None.
• Radio: WMOH-AM (1450), WFMC-FM (101.3).
• Series: Miami leads 13-4. (Last meeting: 1996, Miami won 35-25.)
• Line: Miami by 241/2.
• What to watch: Eastern Michigan was battered in its opener by Michigan State (51-7), but the Eagles are capable of scoring with their West Coast offense. They threw the ball 35 times last week and play aggressive defense.
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When the RedHawks play host to Eastern Michigan today (2 p.m., Yager Stadium), they will be trying to put last week's debacle at West Virginia in their rearview mirror.
In an uncharacteristic display of carelessness (five turnovers; in the previous eight games, MU totaled just four), missed assignments and lack of discipline (11 penalties), Miami lost 43-27 to the Mountaineers despite 545 yards of total offense.
When players and coaches gathered Sunday night to watch film, it looked worse than they thought. There were individual breakdowns all over the place.
“We were definitely devasted,” senior receiver Trevor Gaylor said. “I guess you can look at it as somewhat of a learning experience and maybe even a wake-up call going into MAC play.”
The RedHawks responded exactly as their coach had hoped. They had a great week of practice.
“Players are hard on each other and making sure things are being done right,” Gaylor said.
Today is the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams. Miami learned last sea son — after getting left out of the bowl picture despite a 10-1 record — that the only way to ensure a postseason bid is to win the MAC.
To that end, last week's loss doesn't matter that much. It is more important for the RedHawks to win the conference. The big game, of course, is still two weeks away. That's when Marshall comes to town.
“We have not dug any hole,” Hoeppner said. “We don't have to do anything supernatural. There is no greater sense of urgency. There is a sense of urgency. There's pressure, which is good. If you're in a program where there's no pressure, it probably means you're just trying to hang on and win a game; we're trying to win them all.”
Hoeppner, in his first year as MU's head coach, said that between talented personnel at the skill positions and new formations that have been added, Miami's offense is “a high-octane situation.”
“It's got to give people concern watching us on tape thinking that we're still kind of in early chapters of really getting a total handle on this offense and learning how to drive this fast car,” Hoeppner said.
Star running back Travis Prentice needs 116 yards to become the all-time leading rusher in Miami and MAC history. He is averaging 158 a game.
“I look for Travis to have a big day,” Hoeppner said. “They're geared to stop him and he knows that. In the past, he has risen to the occasion. We'll loosen them up. If they commit too many guys to the run, we'll run by them (with the receivers).”
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