By Mark Schmetzer
Enquirer contributor

Miami athletic director Brad Bates had hoped television viewers across the nation would tune in to ESPN2 and see a sellout crowd at 30,012-seat Yager Stadium for Tuesday's prime-time game against Toledo.

Instead, TV and another rainy day helped limit attendance at the home finale to 13,940, which dropped the average for Miami's last four home games to 13,429.

The NCAA places Division I-A programs on probation when their average attendance is below 15,000 for two consecutive seasons. Bates has described as "somewhat ambiguous" the penalties faced by attendance-challenged programs.

"It's hard to eliminate Division I-A programs," he said Wednesday, the day after Miami's 23-16 win.

The RedHawks drew an announced attendance of 18,022 for their season opener against Indiana State, but lightning forced Yager Stadium to be temporarily cleared. That number probably won't be recognized.

"At this point, it doesn't matter, because (the average) would still be below 15,000," Bates said.

Auditors also determined the Ohio game Sept. 18 drew just 13,140, which is 6,973 fewer than the announced crowd of 20,113. The season average includes the audited Ohio attendance.

"This is the first year we've had audited numbers," Bates said. "In that game, like most schools, we announced estimated numbers because we didn't have the audited figure."