Nov. 23, 2007

Ohio-Miami Game Notes

No turkey hangover could ever come close to tempering this rivalry.

The Ohio football team has saved the best for last, battling Miami on the final Saturday of the 2007 season in a Thanksgiving weekend showdown.

The Bobcats (5-6, 3-4 MAC) are coming off a 48-37 loss to Akron on Nov. 7 at the Rubber Bowl while Miami rides a two-game winning streak.

More importantly for the RedHawks (6-5, 5-1 MAC), their 7-0 win against Akron and Bowling Green's 31-17 victory last weekend at Buffalo secured Miami the East Division crown and a MAC Championship match-up with Central Michigan on Dec. 1 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.

Head coach Shane Montgomery has done wonders in 2007, with only one MAC loss to Temple. Miami's other three defeats came at the hands of Cincinnati, Vanderbilt and Minnesota in four-overtimes.

Miami quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh is currently ranked fifth in the MAC, averaging 217 passing yards per game. The sophomore has thrown 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions in nine games played with a 1954 yards on 159 completions.

But the real heart of this RedHawk team is the defense, which ranks No. 1 in the MAC in points allowed, surrendering 23.6 points per game.

The Bobcats, who sport the No. 5 scoring offense with the fourth-best running game in the conference, are looking to break even on the season with a 6-6 record overall and 4-4 mark in MAC play.

Last year Ohio rolled up 34 points against Miami in a 34-24 victory.

Miami currently holds a 51-30-2 mark all-time against the Bobcats, going 21-19 at Peden and 30-11-2 in Oxford.

On senior day at Peden Stadium, 17 Bobcats will play the final collegiate football game of their careers. None might have had a better run than running back Kalvin McRae.

The Decatur, Ga. native broke the records for most rushing yards in a season and in a career with 1,322 yards on the ground this year and 4,286 over the course of his illustrious career.

The workhorse of the Bobcat offense has also broken his own record of rushing touchdowns in a season, besting his previous mark of 15 with 18 scores thus far this season.

McRae is just five carries short of breaking the school record for rushing attempts in a season and only six rushes short of the career carries mark. The senior could be Ohio's all-time leader in seven rushing categories by the time the clock clicks down to zero in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game.

Other seniors to be honored and congratulated today are Joshua Abrams, Brad Bower, Landon Cohen, Justin Fitzgerald, Alan Goff, Taj Henley, Ervin Jackson, Paul Johnson, Todd Koenig, Matt Miller, Chido Nwokocha, Robert Preston, Ryan Senser, David Shelby, Brett Sykes and Michael Braunstein.

A short senior ceremony will take place before the game. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats to help honor the seniors.