Miami kicker’s field goal cuts through fog to claim victory

Cook comes through with 33-yard last-second field goal to keep Miami tied at the top of MAC East.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 1:12 AM Thursday, November 11, 2010

BOWLING GREEN — Senior place-kicker Trevor Cook made a triumphant return from a leg injury to kick a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give Miami University a 24-21 victory over the Bowling Green State University Falcons at fog-shrouded Doyt Perry Stadium on Wednesday night.

Regardless, the victory keeps Miami (6-4, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) in a first-place tie with Ohio and Temple in the MAC East Division standings.

The Falcons (2-8, 1-5 MAC) had rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game, but an interception by Miami sophomore cornerback D.J. Brown, the first of his career, gave the RedHawks the ball at Bowling Green’s 37-yard line.

“It just happened all at once,” said Brown, a Lakota West High School graduate. “The ball was behind the receiver, it was right there, and I went down and got it.”

Three straight passes from Zac Dysert to Nick Harwell put Miami well within the range of Cook, who had injured his plant leg at Central Michigan on Oct. 16.

Cook said he could see the ball sail through the uprights, “but just barely. I knew it was in. I’ve never had a game-winning kick like that.”

Early in the third period a steadily thickening fog rolled into the stadium, making visibility difficult for the fans.

“It was crazy,” Cook said. I’ve never been at a game like this. I’ve never seen anything so eerie.”

Harwell didn’t seem to have any problem seeing the football, however, when he caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Dysert to give the RedHawks a 21-7 lead with 2:40 remaining in the period.

The visibility problems increased early in the fourth period when the Falcons scored what appeared to be touchdowns on three straight plays.

The first was a 77-yard touchdown pass to wideout Kamar Jorden which was changed, after review, to a 76-yard pass to the Miami 1-yard line. The next play, an apparent 1-yard run, also was reversed following a review. The third resulted in a 1-yard TD run by senior tailback Willie Geter.

But after each play, the Bowling Green cannon went off in celebration, pouring smoke over the field.

A 2-yard touchdown run by Geter tied the score at 21-21 with 6:59 to go.

Miami took a first-quarter lead with a two-play drive. The first was a 41-yard pass from Dysert to Harwell. The second was an 18-yard touchdown run by Thomas Merriweather.

The Falcons answered with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Matt Schilz to tight end Alex Bayer to tie the score at 7-7 with 8:28 left in the second quarter.

The RedHawks regained the lead after Bowling Green punter Bryan Wright was unable to handle a low snap and Miami linebacker C.J. Marck recovered at the Falcons’ 10.

Four plays later Dysert, on third-and-goal from the Bowling Green 1-yard line, ran wide toward the corner of the end zone and was hit hard by cornerback Adrien Spencer near the goal line, but got the touchdown, and Miami led 14-7 at halftime.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.

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