Miami has offense on Cruse control

Junior Andy Cruse shares team lead in TD catches with four.

High school sports results for May 26
5/26/12
Reds' six-game winning streak broken
5/26/12
Annual Warrior Soccer Classic kicks off today
5/26/12
Dragons' rally falls short against Lansing
5/26/12
WSU baseball ousted from tournament
5/26/12
> More sports headlines

By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 11:00 PM Sunday, November 6, 2011

OXFORD — Miami University’s Andy Cruse is a physical football player with a gentle side.

The junior from Cincinnati uses his size — at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds he is the RedHawks’ biggest wide receiver — to great advantage on the field.

This season Cruse, one of the top blocking wide receivers in the Mid-American Conference, has specialized burning opponents on quick-hitting inside routes.

His 22-yard touchdown catch in last week’s 35-3 blowout over Akron marked the third straight game in which he has caught a scoring strike from quarterback Zac Dysert. Although he averages only 9.5 yards on his 31 receptions, he shares the team lead in touchdown catches with four.

“We’ve got guys who can run and run and run like Nick (Harwell), Chris (Givens) and Dawan (Scott),” he said. I guess you could say I’m a possession receiver.”

Cruse, however, is capable of going deep as well, as the Central Michigan Chippewas know only too well.

His 71-yard touchdown catch with 19 seconds left in the game last season gave Miami a dramatic 27-20 victory in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

“People are always talking to me about that,” he said. “I was just hoping Zac saw me. That ball was in the air forever and there was no one around.”

Cruse’s passion for football has been evident ever since his record-setting days at Turpin High School, where he and RedHawks teammate Luke Kelly helped lead the Spartans to 24-3 record as juniors and seniors.

He also has a passion for his major at Miami, special education.

Every Wednesday, Cruse manages to find time between a hectic schedule of football practice and classes to help out at Princeton Community Middle School. “I’ll student teach in the spring of 2013,” he said.

“My cousin Adam has Down’s syndrome, and I’ve always been close to him growing up, working with him,” Cruse said. “I have a passion for working with kids with disabilities.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or Pete.Conrad@coxinc.com.

Share this article