Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Eyes of nation on MU tonight
Game election alternative
By Mark Schmetzer
Enquirer contributor
OXFORD - No NHL. NBA just gearing up. Little to nothing but vote counting on other channels. Beano Cook just might be right.
The ESPN college football analyst believes that tonight's game between Toledo and Miami on ESPN2 might be the most-viewed game of the season.
"Every bar in the country will have that game on television, as well as many homes," MU coach Terry Hoeppner said.
Whomever tunes in will find a matchup of two of the top three passing teams in the Mid-American Conference. The Rockets (6-2, 5-0 MAC), who were picked in the preseason MAC media poll to win the West Division and beat projected East Division-champion Marshall in the conference title game, lead the MAC in passing and total offense. Their junior quarterback, Bruce Gradkowski, is the MAC's most efficient passer and has led them to six consecutive wins, the MAC's longest current winning streak. Toledo needs a win to stay tied with Northern Illinois for first place in the West.
"We can't afford to give up big plays, and we have to watch the screens," Hoeppner said.
"They run screen plays as effectively as anyone in the country," Hoeppner added.
Miami (5-1, 4-1 East), the MAC's third-most prolific passing team, might be able to capitalize on a Rocket defense that gave up 63 points in each of its first two games of the season and is second-last in the conference in pass defense.
"Their defense has gotten better," said Hoeppner, whose team needs a win to pull within a half-game of first-place Marshall. "They're young, but at this point, no one is really young any more. These guys have played eight games. We're going to have to be efficient on offense and not turn the ball over."
The only tests won't be found on the field. Miami athletic director Brad Bates was openly urging fans to turn out and fill 30,012-seat Yager Stadium in an effort to make sure average attendance remains above 15,000 and the program doesn't risk its Division IA status.
"Our fan base has an opportunity (tonight) to show off for a national TV audience, like they did last year," Hoeppner said. "I anticipate a really good attendance. It's a chance for our students to show off on national television. They've been a big part of our success. Hopefully, we can surpass the crowd we had at the Bowling Green game last year."
Miami plans to dedicate the Cradle of Coaches Plaza at the south end of the stadium in ceremonies scheduled to start at 6 p.m. The plaza, built as part of the ongoing Yager Stadium renovation, honors the program's reputation for producing near-legendary coaches such as Bo Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, Paul Brown, Earl "Red" Blaik, Weeb Ewbank and John Pont.
Toledo at Miami
