DaytonDailyNews.com

KENT — The Miami RedHawks have tossed their hat in the ring. They are now officially, technically, legitimately and honestly a major contender for the Mid-American Conference East Division championship.

There is, however, one question. If the RedHawks do make it all the way to the MAC Championship game, will they have enough healthy players to field a team?

The RedHawks lost their starting quarterback, their best wide receiver and a top defensive lineman to injuries Saturday at Dix Stadium but did not lose their composure in a 20-13 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes.

"A tremendous win for our program," Miami coach Shane Montgomery said.

"We lost three of our top players (senior quarterback Mike Kokal, sophomore wideout Dustin Woods and junior defensive tackle Ben Huddle) in the first half, and we might have lost all three of them for the year, I'm not sure," he added. "We've had guys step up in crucial situations."

Miami not only evened its overall record at 3-3 while winning its MAC East Division opener, but also gave itself a winning streak for the first time in nearly two years. The RedHawks had not won back-to-back games since November 2005.

It almost didn't happen.

In a wild and crazy final KSU drive, quarterback Julian Edelman was stopped 1 yard short of what would have been a game-tying touchdown with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Miami held sophomore running back Eugene Jarvis, the nation's leader in rushing yards coming into the game, to just 82 yards on 19 carries.

"I was expecting to see a lot more of him, absolutely, especially the way he's been running the ball," Miami strong safety Robbie Wilson said of Jarvis, who had 769 yards in his first five games.

Montgomery wasn't as surprised. "We seemed to get them in a lot of third-and-longs," he said. "That probably held his count back a little bit."

Edelman actually did more damage on the ground than Jarvis, running for 93 yards and throwing for 260, but the Golden Flashes (3-3, 1-2 MAC East) did not score a touchdown over the final three and a half quarters.

The game was tied 10-10 at halftime, and Miami took the lead for good when quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh, filling in for the injured Kokal, threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake O'Connell with 11:22 remaining in the third quarter.

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