OXFORD — With much of the attention focused on Miami's high-powered, spread offense, the RedHawks defense showed its dominance in Saturday's 25-11 victory over Western Michigan.

Jason Branch makes a catch for a touchdown past Western Michigan's diving Ronald Rogers in the 4th quarter. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

        Miami (6-2, 5-0 Mid-American Conference) drove 80 yards for a touchdown on the game's opening drive but was stymied for the next three quarters. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked eight times and never looked comfortable against a Broncos defense he called as good as any he has faced all year.

        “This is (the defense's) win,” Roethlisberger said after the RedHawks' sixth consecutive victory. “It was so much fun to be on the sideline and see them dominate against a good Western offense.”

        Miami coach Terry Hoeppner announced after the game that Roethlisberger had to be taken to Oxford's McCullough-Hyde Hospital late Friday night after suffering shortness of breath due to an injured rib cage that he suffered last week. The first-year quarterback was released around 1:30 a.m. Saturday after treatment and medication helped restore his regular breathing patterns. Roethlisberger completed 18 of 29 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns.

        The defense picked up the scoring punch for Miami, scoring the game's second touchdown on defensive back Rod Clark's 15-yard interception return.

        The interception return came after Miami punter Mike Wafzig's kick was downed at Western Michigan's 5-yard line, pinning the Broncos deep in their own territory. On the Broncos' first play after the punt, WMU quarterback Jon Drach was pressured by linebacker Terrell Jones and had to hurry his throw to avoid a safety. His off-balance pass ended up in the arms of Clark, who ran untouched to the end zone.

        “We felt it was time for the defense to dominate at the line,” defensive lineman Ryan Terry said. “Our whole motivation was to go out and dominate for a whole game.”

        The defense rose again with 14 seconds left in the half, registering a safety to give the RedHawks a 16-0 lead. Once again, Wafzig's ability to deaden the ball led to the safety. After downing Wafzig's punt at the 1-yard line, Miami's defense stuffed two consecutive runs as Western Michigan tried to run out the clock. Linebackers Matt Robillard and Nathan Clayton trapped running back Philip Reed in the end zone.

        Miami held Western Michigan to only 168 yards. The Broncos' only two scores came after Miami's offense turned the ball over in its territory, shortening the field for Western Michigan.

        “Their defense just took over the game,” Western Michigan coach Gary Darnell said. “We couldn't get anything going and that was to their credit.”

Team		1	2	3	4			SCORE
Western Mich		0	0	11	0			11
Miami-Ohio		14	2	3	6			25

Scoring Summary
1st Quarter	Miami-Ohio Touchdown - 20-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Eddie Tillitz. (Jared Parseghian kick). 11:43 remaining. Miami-Ohio Touchdown - 15-yard interception return by Rod Clark. (Jared Parseghian kick). 2:38 remaining.
2nd Quarter	Miami-Ohio Safety - Team safety. 0:14 remaining.
3rd Quarter	Western Michigan Touchdown - 3-yard run by Charles Woods. (Jon Drach pass to Brandon Johnson). 9:40 remaining. Western Michigan Field Goal - 30-yarder by Robert Menchinger. 7:41 remaining. Miami-Ohio Field Goal - 22-yarder by Brett Jackson. 3:29 remaining.
4th Quarter	Miami-Ohio Touchdown - 14-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Jason Branch. (kick failed). 6:00 remaining.

Attendance: 15,850

Final Team Statistics	Western Mich	Miami-Ohio
First downs	9	18
Rushes-yards	34-93	42-154
Passing yards	75	215
Return yards	48	23
Passing (Att-Comp-Int)	32-9-2	29-18-2
Punts-Average	7-31.3	6-35.8
Fumbles-Lost	0-0	1-1
Penalties-Yards	6-41	5-40
Time of Possession	27:38	32:22

Rushing
Western Mich	- Woods 16-41, Drach 13-40, Bush 1-9, Reed 4-3.
Miami-Ohio	- Clemens 19-100, Little 7-77, Hawk 3-3, Murray Jr 1-2, team 3-(-3), Roethlisberger 9-(-25).
Passing
Western Mich	- Drach 9-32-2, 75 yards.
Miami-Ohio	- Roethlisberger 18-29-2, 215 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Receiving
Western Mich	- Zuhl 3-22, Bush 2-10, Mosley 1-17, Jennings 1-15, Afariogun 1-7, Johnson 1-4.
Miami-Ohio	- Branch 6-64, Henry 3-47, Tillitz 2-28, Clemens 1-29, Larkin 1-16, Frazier 1-14, Kirkpatrick 1-13, Murray Jr 1-2, Little 1-2, Stegman 1-0.

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