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Sports TwitterRedHawks healthy as season opener looms
Monday, August 25, 2008
OXFORD — Miami University football coach Shane Montgomery was asked the inevitable, awful question, the one to which he has become much too accustomed over the last three years.
"So coach, which players are on the injured list this week?"
He paused, as if thinking, "Hmmm, there has to be someone, somewhere, who probably won't be able to play in the season opener." After a couple seconds he gave up. It was a triumph of sorts. "There's nobody," he said, "who's not going to play."
It's a triumph because that's the first time Montgomery has been able to say that in a long time, perhaps since the fall of 2005. If the RedHawks can make it through the next couple practices, he will have a fit team to face Vanderbilt when the Southeastern Conference makes its first visit to Yager Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 28.
In 2006, Miami's offensive line was devastated by injuries, which also took a crushing toll on tailback Brandon Murphy, who had rushed for 1,070 yards the year before.
In 2007, Murphy and his replacement, Andre Bratton, both saw their seasons ended by mid-September. Starting quarterback Mike Kokal missed six games. Guard Matt McKeown missed almost the entire season
Earlier this year, more than 25 players were kept out of a spring scrimmage due to injuries.
Montgomery said there are several reasons for the outbreak of good health.
"It possibly could be the weather," he said. "We haven't had a tough fall camp in terms of (excessive) heat. When you have heat, you tend to get more tired, quicker."
Also, Montgomery said, his players have gotten smarter about how to avoid injuries in practice.
"We have more team depth," he continued, "and we have a more experienced team. You have players who have gone through more off-seasons than all the freshmen and sophomores we've had in the past (two years).
"And then there is the luck factor," Montgomery said. "You need lucky breaks, but you also create your own luck by the way you work."
Some players have missed practice time this summer due to minor injuries. The most recent was Brandon Brooks, a red-shirt freshman offensive lineman who missed a couple practices with a hamstring injury. "He should be fine," Montgomery said. "Other than that, we really don't have anybody (who is injured)."
MU's season opener
Who: Vanderbilt Commodores at Miami RedHawks
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Radio: WMOH-AM (1450), WPFB-AM (910), WPFB-FM (105.9)
TV: ESPNU
