OXFORD — On their first drive of the game, a 99-yard ker-bump requiring 13 plays, the Iowa Hawkeyes looked like a backhoe playing against dirt. Bengals personnel chief Jim Lippincott watched Iowa against Miami Saturday and declared the Hawkeyes had 10 “draftable” players. Four are offensive linemen.

        Miami has a few star players, the most obvious being quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. But in the talent derby, the RedHawks will finish behind Iowa every time. Iowa escaped with a 29-24 win. Miami preserved its reputation for being feisty, dangerous and the worst nightmare for any coach working at a big-name school.

        You think Iowa fans would understand a loss to Miami? The RedHawks might be among the best sleeper teams in Division I-A. If they had won Saturday, we'd have had to rename the place Football U. Try telling that to fans of big-name programs. “Miami did us a favor last week by (beating) North Carolina,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “That helped educate everybody.”

Miami's Matt Pusateri tries to tackle Iowa's Fred Russell in the 4th quarter Saturday. (Mike Simons photo) | ZOOM |

        Sizeable advantage

        Miami needed to shoot for perfection and hope its aim was good. As it was, the RedHawks lost two touchdowns to penalties. When they needed to stop Iowa to have a chance, the five barns occupying Iowa's offensive line — who average 6 feet 6 and 290 pounds — simply exerted their poundage. The Hawkeyes sealed the game with a nine-play, 61-yard plow that ended at the Miami 6 when the clock ran out.

        Miami coach Terry Hoeppner likes to say the biggest difference between a Miami and an Iowa “lies outside the lines.” Football budgets, stadium sizes, media hype are greater elsewhere than in charming, collegial Oxford. The differences in talent aren't as pronounced, Hoeppner believes. “We have 85 scholarships, just like they do. We lift the same weights they lift.”

        True enough. But given a choice, a 6-6, 290-pound beef boy will go to Iowa before he tries Miami. Hoeppner schedules these games — and the one at North Carolina last week and at LSU the next — to try to level the recruiting field. “A win today would have closed that gap,” he said.

Iowa's D.J. Johnson reaches for a ball after Miami wide receiver Martin Nance was knocked down on the 1 yard line in the 4th quarter. (Mike Simons photo) | ZOOM |

        Roethlisberger stars

        Miami had its chances. Roethlisberger, who'd fit at most I-A schools, kept the RedHawks in the mix. Roethlisberger looks as if he were made in the Quarterback Lab. He has added 30 pounds of rock to his 6-5 frame. Now he weighs 240. He looks like a tight end but moves like an option quarterback.

        There was a telling, comic moment in the second quarter, when Iowa blitzed Roethlisberger with a cornerback only to have the Miami QB brush the corner off as if he were dandruff. Roethlisberger broke two other tackles before completing an 8-yard pass. The next play, he threw 27 yards to Michael Larkin for a touchdown.

        Roethlisberger finished with 33 completions, 343 yards and three TDs. He stood in the pocket and dissected Iowa's secondary as if he were throwing darts in a pub. The problem for Miami is, it can't convince enough Roethlisbergers to come play in Oxford. At least not enough to beat a team like Iowa.

        They get another shot Saturday at showing the world. That'd be at LSU.

        Tiger Stadium seats 91,600.

Sports Stories

Daugherty: The little team that almost could Heartbreaker in Oxford MLB Jones might miss game at LSU Buckeyes pummel Flashes Cardinals rebound from UK loss Kentucky 77, UTEP 17 Northeastern 31, Ohio 0 Wilmington cruises past Mount St. Joe 45-20 Hurricanes blow through Florida Luck O' the Irish beats Purdue Utah 40, Indiana 13 College Football Today How the Top 25 fared Top 25 roundup Daugherty: A tradition unlike any other? Gilder in position for Kroger win Lancaster leads Chalmers Largest first-round crowd on hand since 1991 McEnroe, Becker relive old times Serena beats Venus to win U.S. Open Serena Williams: The best ever? Old-Timers Day: Agassi faces Sampras in final Blount wins ARCA event at Chicagoland Gibbs: Witnesses saw nothing out of the ordinary Hornish wins pole for Delphi 300 Streak in jeopardy, Wallace fumes Jones retains undisputed title with win over Woods Lido Palace wins 2nd straight Woodward Next stop, hopefully Olympics NKU soccer has come a long way Spain 81, United States 75 Team USA missing that team part Yugoslavia 89, New Zealand 78 Coming up this week Enquirer Page Two power rankings

Expect another big-time slugfest
Once again, Bengals fail to sell out season opener
Jones: Life as a Rookie
Keys to the game
The Edge
By the numbers
Isolation booth: Frerotte vs. McNeil
NFL notebook
Curnutte picks the NFL
Curnutte's NFL power ratings
Brewers 9, Reds 6
Reds Box, Runs
When is a start not a start?
Fay: Reds Q&A
Reds chatter
Reds notebook
Cinergy Moments
Astros 6, Dodgers 1
Cardinals 6, Cubs 5, 13 innings
Pirates 4, Marlins 1
Yankees' Wells attacked by man at New York diner
Baseball insider
Baseball power rankings
Soft-spoken QB earns teammates' trust
Dixie Heights 28, CovCath 0
Meadowdale 47, Taft 0
NewCath 35, Scott 14
Purcell Marian 28, Amelia 0
Groeschen: Taft-Goshen cancellation regrettable
Schmidt: New alignment to affect local rivalries
Off the Court with Grace Kammerer
Down a player, Milford holds on for 1-1 tie
Boys cross country results
Boys golf results
Boys soccer results
Field hockey results
Girls cross country results
Girls soccer results
Girls tennis results
Volleyball results