DaytonDailyNews.com

OXFORD — No matter what pain might or might not be coursing through Shane Montgomery on the heels of what he called "a very embarrassing loss" in the midst of a frustrating season, the Miami University football coach does not intend to let it affect his demeanor.

"As a (head) coach, you know the coaches and players are going to feed off you," Montgomery said Friday, Oct. 31, at his weekly press conference. "I've tried to stay as positive as I can be. I still have a lot of confidence in this team.

"It's hard ... but it's the nature of this position," he said. "I've got to rally the troops. It's hard to believe our record (2-6 overall, 1-3 in the Mid-American Conference) is what it is right now with the expectations we had at the beginning of the year."

The RedHawks, coming off a 54-21 loss at home to Kent State, hope to bounce back Tuesday at Buffalo.

Montgomery knows as well as anyone that college coaches are expected to win, especially in the high-profile, high-pressure world of football.

"One thing that's always been good around here, we always get a lot of support, especially from the other sports teams," Montgomery pointed out. "They're the ones who go through what we go through."

So how does Montgomery deal with the reaction from disgruntled fans armed with various ways of expressing their displeasure? Or about the endless media conjecture about coaches whose teams have yet to perform up to expectation?

"I don't get on the Internet and read about it, I don't read the papers a lot, especially during the season," he said.

It's not that Montgomery is trying to avoid the harsh reality of a season that keeps veering off course, though it might be tempting.

"I hate to have to rehash last Saturday's game," he said. "A very embarrassing loss, especially (considering) the way we had played the week before, our most complete game of the year."

The RedHawks had hoped they had set things right following their 27-20 victory at Bowling Green on Oct. 18.

"I think we're OK," Montgomery said. "You worry about guys getting really frustrated, discouraged, because they've worked so hard and haven't gotten good results. If you're 6-2 right now, it's very easy to look forward to practice every day.

"I told our guys our goals are still out there, the way our division has been this year," he added.

Despite everything, Miami remains only one game behind MAC East Division co-leaders Akron and Buffalo.

"I would worry if I felt they had given up on the season," Montgomery said of his players, "but from what I've seen every day, we're in good shape, and I would expect it to be that way. We've got a good group of kids."

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