DaytonDailyNews.com

KENT — It's going to be a long weekend of waiting for Miami University senior quarterback Mike Kokal.

He helped lead the RedHawks to a 20-13 victory at Kent State on Saturday, completing 8-of-10 passes for 124 yards. His 54-yard strike to Dustin Woods late in the first quarter led to a 21-yard field goal by Nathan Parseghian and a 10-7 Miami lead.

It would be perhaps the most costly drive of the season for Miami.

Woods injured his left shoulder on the pass play and was sidelined for the rest of the game. Three plays later, Kokal made two good twists to elude tacklers on an 11-yard gain to the Kent State 4-yard line. But when everybody else got up, Kokal stayed down.

"I tried to cut back down near the goal line, and my (left) knee just went out on me," Kokal said. "Now we'll see what happens Monday when I get an MRI."

At first, a couple of members of the Miami staff tried to help him off the field, but he shook them off, gently, and came off under his own power. "I felt fine when I walked off," he said.

Kokal played in three more possessions before being replaced by Daniel Raudabaugh late in the half.

Six plays after Kokal limped off the field, Miami defensive tackle Ben Huddle was knocked out of the game with an injury to his lower left leg.

Wild finish

After Parseghian's 27-yard field goal gave the RedHawks a 20-13 lead with 5:27 remaining, Kent State's final drive included 10 plays. There also seemed to be 10 momentum swings.

Starting from the point where Derek McBryde caught the kickoff, the Golden Flashes moved the ball 94 yards. They needed 95.

McBryde returned the kickoff 28 yards to the 33. A personal foul against Miami took it an additional 15 yards to the Flashes' 48. Then things really got crazy.

There was the 35-yard run by KSU quarterback Julian Edelman to the Miami 17. Advantage Kent State.

The 7-yard sack by Miami's Craig Mester. Advantage Miami.

A 17-yard pass to KSU's Eugene Jarvis. Advantage Kent State.

A KSU holding penalty followed by a 3-yard sack by Miami's Ryan Kennedy. Advantage Miami.

That gave the Flashes a fourth-and-goal from the Miami 13. The following play was so big that each team called a timeout.

Edelman could not find an open receiver, so he ran down the sideline and was pushed out of bounds at the 1-yard line by Jordan Gafford and Clayton Mullins.

"It's been like that the last couple of weeks," said Miami strong safety Robbie Wilson. "At the ends of games, we find ourselves in a tight spot and have to get out of it. It's nothing new. But we have to avoid those situations."

No encore for Jones

Miami senior tailback Cory Jones, who sprained his left knee last week when he rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the 17-14 victory over Syracuse, did not make the trip to Kent State.

Long overdue

When Austin Sykes scored Miami's first touchdown on a 1-yard run with 7:26 remaining in the first quarter, it broke a streak of seven straight games in which Miami had not scored a first-period touchdown.

C

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