Saturday, November 20, 1999
Miami's Yeager headed to sidelines
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
For 11 of the 14 seniors on the Miami University roster, today's game against Buffalo is the end of the line.
Travis Prentice will be drafted. Dustin Cohen and Trevor Gaylor will be invited to NFL camps.
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BUFFALO at MIAMI
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• Kickoff: 1p.m. today at Yager Stadium (30,012), Oxford.
• Records: MU 6-4 (5-2 MAC),
Buffalo 0-10 (0-7).
• TV: None.
• Radio: WCKY-AM (1360), WMOH-AM (1450), WFMG-FM (101.3).
• Series: Miami leads 1-0 (last: 1951, MU 27-74).
• Line: Miami by 33.
• What to watch: In his Red-
Hawks finale, Travis Prentice seeks to add to his career NCAA records in points (462), touchdowns (77), games with a TD (34). He also shares the NCAA rushing TD mark (72) with Ricky Williams ... Buffalo, which is competing in Division I-A for the first time since 1970, is seeking its first win of the season.
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But for the other 11, today is it. And Mike Yeager can't accept that.
“Football means so much to me,” he said. “I've been playing since I was 9 years old. I can't imagine not putting on the pads in August.”
So Yeager, a linebacker from Indian Hill, has decided to ease the sting by going into coaching.
Yeager's love for football runs deep. His father, John, died in August of 1992, just before Mike was going to start his sophomore season at Indian Hill.
“I went back to practice three or four days after he died,” Yeager said. “Football was the constant. I think that's one of the reasons I love it so much. My dad really supported me in everything I did. He was always there for me. Whatever I wanted to pursue, he'd tell me to go and do it.”
The fact that Yeager's father had died helped build his relationship with Miami coach Terry Hoeppner.
“He struggled with that,” Hoeppner said. “I wouldn't call myself his surrogate father, but we're close.”
Yeager is as close to Hoeppner as any player on the team.
“I have a unique relationship with Dustin and Mike,” Hoeppner said. “It's a little different than with the other players. He can tell me anything. We're real frank with one another. He's a guy I can coach really hard.”
Yeager says he'll try to land a graduate assistant's job, then begin the long road toward a job like Hoeppner's.
“He's where I want to be,” Yeager said. “I'm envious of him.”
Yeager knows it won't be easy. His grade-point average isn't high enough — it's 2.58 — to land a grad assistant job at Miami (3.0 is required).
“I have no idea where I'll end up,” he said. “I don't have any connections.”
Yeager does have one con nection: Hoeppner.
Yeager spent a lot of time picking Hoeppner's brain. Hoeppner was defensive coordinator before he was promoted to head coach before this season.
“He'll make a great coach,” Hoeppner said. “He's not our most gifted player. He struggles to keep weight on. He's fast but not super fast. He makes as many tackles as he does because of his knowledge of the game.”
Yeager advanced from special teams to defensive backup to situation player.
This year, he has started at middle linebacker. He's third on the team in tackles and tied for the lead with three interceptions. He also handles calls on defense and plays on special teams.
“In his own unique way,” Hoeppner said, “He's one of our most valuable players.”
Sounds like a coach in waiting.
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