Top 2 MAC offenses set to battle tonight

RedHawks coach says momentum to be key for high-powered attacks.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 12:40 AM Wednesday, November 16, 2011

OXFORD — There are likely to be a few footballs flying tonight at Yager Stadium.

Western Michigan and Miami University rank 1-2 in the Mid-American Conference in passing offense. If the averages hold up, ESPN2 viewers will see 600 passing yards and five touchdown passes between the two teams.

And nobody in the United States is catching more passes for more yards than WMU senior wide receiver Jordan White, who has 111 receptions for 1,402 yards.

“We’re very aware this is a very explosive football team, there’s no doubt about that,” Miami coach Don Treadwell said.

Western’s quarterback, junior Alex Carder, leads the Mid-American Conference with 200.5 passing yards per game and 25 touchdown passes.

White isn’t his only target. Senior wideouts Robert Arnheim and Chleb Ravenell have teamed for 93 catches for 1,111 yards and nine touchdowns. White leads the MAC with 12 TD catches.

But sometimes staggering statistics aren’t enough.

The Broncos are in fifth place in the six-team MAC West Division, they’re struggling to become bowl eligible, and last Tuesday they racked up 32 first downs, 548 passing yards and at least two touchdowns in every quarter and still lost to Toledo 66-63.

According to Treadwell, momentum will be a key factor in tonight’s game.

“You’re looking for momentum,” he said. “Sometimes you’re given momentum and you’ve got to use it, sometimes you force it to be given to you. You want to be a team that instigates momentum, seizes it and then takes advantage of it.”

Momentum worked against Miami in last Wednesday’s 24-21 loss at Temple when the Owls scored off three RedHawk turnovers.

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