“She’s still a talented performer,” the RedHawks coach said of the former Fleetwood Mac lead singer, “but that’s probably not a direction I would’ve gone.”
The report Martin saw had Miami (6-6) playing in the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Bowl on Dec. 26 at 11 a.m. against Mississippi State (5-7) of the Southeastern Conference at Tropicana Field. The opponent, site and date had the third-year coach feeling like he’d just received a birthday gift.
“Obviously, we’re still crazy excited,” Martin said Monday. “We’re excited to be playing in a bowl game and, after the initial shock of playing an SEC team wore off, we’re excited about who we’re playing. It will be a huge challenge playing an SEC team. Being in St. Petersburg in December would be exciting for anyone. It’s exciting any time you can step up in the (Bowl Championship Series) realm. I may not feel that way after the first play from scrimmage. I know it’s an exciting challenge.
“There are tons of positives,” he added. “Now we just have to figure out how to get Santa Claus to deliver all of the presents to St. Petersburg.”
ARCHDEACON: Martin raises Miami football 'from bottom of the ocean'
The RedHawks earned the 11th bowl berth in program history and first since beating Middle Tennessee State 35-21 in the 2010 GoDaddy.com Bowl by reeling off six consecutive wins – all in the Mid-American Conference – after losing their first six games. No team in NCAA history had finished 6-6 after starting 0-6. NCAA rules require bowl teams to have at least six regular-season wins, but if there are not enough qualifying teams, then five-win teams are allowed to go based on their academic performances.
Miami is 7-3 in bowl games and will be playing a postseason game in Florida for the first time since 1975, when the then-Redskins won their third consecutive Tangerine Bowl championship by knocking off independent South Carolina 20-7. They’d previously beaten Southeastern Conference-powers Florida and Georgia in the same bowl during what are generally considered to be the program’s glory days.
Martin expected to be playing in one of the MAC-related bowls before Christmas and was pleasantly surprised to land on the day after the holiday. Besides giving injured players more time to heal, the later start allows extra practice sessions, giving the RedHawks a jump on spring ball.
“Besides the guys who are done for the year, we should be as healthy as we’ve been all year,” he said. “We’ll probably go into the game as healthy as we’ve been since the start of fall camp, and we’ll be able to have three or four ‘young guys’’ practices.”
Those sessions, with fewer veterans involved, will be more physical and more instructive.
Four players – third-year sophomore tight end Nate Becker, junior offensive lineman Zach Hovey, third-year sophomore wide receiver Chris Hudson and third-year sophomore quarterback Jordan Martin – are out for the season with injuries.
Martin also appreciates the opportunity to deepen Miami’s recruiting footprint in a talent-rich state such as Florida. Three current RedHawks hail from the Sunshine State, including leading rusher Alonzo Smith and wide receiver James Gardner, who leads Miami in receiving yards and is tied for the lead in touchdown catches.
“It definitely helps playing a bowl game down there,” said Martin, ironically wearing a maroon dress shirt – Mississippi State’s primary color. “It also helps that there will be 10 more days of talk about Miami football, and the date helps us because more people will be watching (than before Christmas). I rarely miss a bowl game after Christmas, and playing Mississippi State in a bowl game helps. That gives us more exposure.
“Why was it news? It wasn’t because Miami was in a bowl. It was because Mississippi State got picked.”
What: St. Petersburg Bowl
Who: Miami (6-6) vs. Mississippi State (5-7)
When: 11 a.m., Dec. 26
TV/Radio: ESPN, 1450, 980
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