I'm guessing that with hockey season just around the corner most Miami University fans have already lost their appetite for RedHawk football. Before you leave the table, however, I'd like to offer you some Dysert.
Zac Dysert made his first career collegiate start Saturday against Kent State, putting up a stat line that can only be described as tantalizing. Can I tempt you with 31 completed passes on 53 attempts for 337 yards and a touchdown? If throwing isn't your fancy then maybe a little bit of 'scramble-ability' will do the trick. How does 107 yards on 17 carries sound?
Beyond the stats, however, the real treat was watching how they came to be. To end the first half, Dysert led a 78-yard two minute drill ending in a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Rodgers. Someone clearly
forgot to tell this gunslinger that he is just a redshirt freshman. He calmly and coolly directed the offense down the field, avoiding constant pressure and finding the open receiver. Here I saw Dysert do three things Raudabaugh could not: escape sacks, throw the ball deep and provide leadership in the clutch.
On Miami's second touchdown drive of the game, Dysert dished out a second serving of sweetness. This time taking his team 81 yards for the score, Dysert completed seven of nine passes before Thomas Merriweather punched it in from one yard out. Usually the run is used to set up the pass but on both of these drives Miami stuck almost strictly with the freshman's arm, calling 20 passes on 23 plays.
Dysert's third drive of note, however, provided a completely different flavor. This time he beat Kent with his legs. Midway through the fourth
quarter and down by two scores, Miami's play calling remained pass heavy. The Golden Flashes, learning from past mistakes, were determined to put pressure on the freshman to avoid being picked apart once again. On three separate plays Kent defenders appeared to have Zac down for a sack. All three times those defenders either tackled each other or just fell to the ground as Dysert cut, spun or simply ran away.
Words cannot describe how impossible this guy is to catch. He is blessed with an eye-popping ability to both escape defenders in the backfield and run past them downfield. Raudabaugh certainly showed occasional signs of brilliance as a short-route passer, but Dysert's mobility brings a completely new weapon to this RedHawk offense.
Miami plays its first true home game of the season Saturday. With the Cincinnati Bearcats entering the contest as the only Yager opponent to ever be ranked in the nation's top 10, the odds of Miami winning or even keeping it close seem fairly long. You may not be too excited about trekking all the way down Weeb Ewbank Way just to watch UC ring the Victory Bell 114 times, but I'll assert that every football fan on this campus needs to see this kid play.
Miami vs Cincinnati is the fifth oldest annual rivalry in the entire country. What's more, Bearcat Head Coach Brain Kelly has said in years past that he wants to end it.
Hate for the "UC in suck" is drilled into Miami players. Whether they are visiting a locker or a urinal they see signs that say "Beat UC." To say this series is filled with tradition wouldn't begin to do it justice.
This year, however, part of that tradition is broken. With Cincinnati ranked No. 10 in the AP poll, this game is no longer just a local battle between two southwest Ohio schools for a bell. All of sudden, this game takes on huge national significance. Sure, Miami may be leagues away from playing in a national championship but Saturday it can deny another team (its arch rival none the less) of that privilege as well.
So before you make your way over to the Goggin to christen the 2009-10 hockey season, go check out the Dysert menu down at Yager. Considering the upgrade in competition Zac probably won't put up another 444-all-purpose-yards performance. Even so, I'm willing to the Bearcats find him to be more than they can stomach.
