RedHawks want to hit foes hard

Several factors play into Miami 'returning to football tradition'

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 1:16 AM Sunday, August 30, 2009

OXFORD — The Miami RedHawks are tired of being pushed around. Now they want to push back hard.

Literally.

“Fans can look for physical football games on both sides of the ball and on special teams,” said first-year Miami University head coach Mike Haywood, whose team went 2-10 last fall while finishing last in the Mid-American Conference East Division and is picked to finish there again.

The RedHawks might win with finesse, eventually, but first they are determined to establish a theme of hitting first and hitting hard.

Offense

Although Miami finished near or at the bottom of the MAC in most offensive categories, Haywood pointed to his wide receivers as a team strength “because of the numbers we have there.”

Among the wideouts who have the potential to do some damage are junior Chris Givens, who led the RedHawks with seven touchdown receptions and 14.7 yards per catch; junior Jamal Rogers, a team-high 42 catches last season; and senior team co-captain Dustin Woods and junior Eugene Harris, who are returning from injuries.

Senior Daniel Raudabaugh has won the quarterback competition and he has the experience of having passed for 4,681 yards in his career.

What he doesn’t have is an experienced offensive line or a proven running game.

One main emphasis for Haywood during camp has been, he said, “trying to run the football a little better. We need to run the ball more efficiently.”

The RedHawks have only two returning starters on the line, where three of the backups are freshmen, and no returning tight end with any experience.

“It’s all going to start up front with the depth and the health of the line,” Raudabaugh said.

Defense

Miami’s defense, normally a standard of excellence, turned into a liability last season when the RedHawks allowed nearly 400 yards of total offense per game.

The RedHawks did have two All-MAC linebackers in Joey Hudson and Clayton Mullins, but both are gone.

But the cupboard is not totally bare.

“We have some quality front-line guys,” Haywood said. “We have to develop some depth with our younger players.”

One of those younger players is true freshman Austin Brown, who has played his way onto the first string at defensive tackle.

Miami also has some proven quality at outside linebacker with senior Caleb Bostic, who ranked second on the team in tackles and tackles for loss as a sophomore before tailing off last fall, and defensive backs Jordan Gafford, Jeff Thompson and Brandon Stephens.

Miami lost one of the nation’s leading punters in Jake Richardson, but senior Chris DiCesare has looked good during the preseason.

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

Caleb Bostic — LB

The 6-foot-3, 232-pound senior had a disappointing season in 2008, but as a sophomore was an All-MAC caliber defender.

Jordan Gafford — DB

The junior strong safety played in just one full game last year, a big reason for Miami’s meltdown on defense.

Chris Givens — WR

The most consistent offensive weapon in 2008 has looked just as good in 2009 scrimmages.

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