Change is on the way for the Miami University football team.

After an 0-3 start to the season, Head Coach Mike Haywood decided to bench fifth-year senior quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh in favor of redshirt freshman Zac Dysert.

"We believe that we should be more effective on offense," Haywood said of the team's first three games. "The staff felt it was a great opportunity to put Dysert into the starting lineup so that we could do the things that we do best on offense. Zac's quick passing game and his ability to run the football will help us succeed."

With Raudabaugh starting under center, the RedHawks failed to score during the season's initial 10 quarters. Only once Western Michigan University built a 35-0 second half lead and began giving playing time to its reserves did Miami find the end zone. In those first three games, Raudabaugh completed 59 of 111 passes for 569 yards with five interceptions and two touchdowns.

As he changes quarterbacks, Haywood acknowledged the offense must change as well. Dysert brings a different skill set to the position than Raudabaugh and the team must adjust accordingly. In Haywood's opinion, Dysert is more athletic, more of a runner and the passing game will be quicker under his direction. Since Saturday will be the youngster's first career start, Haywood plans to reduce the number of reads he gives him.

Dysert appeared briefly in Miami's two most recent contests. He made his first career start at the collegiate level against Boise State University. His first throw as a RedHawk went for an interception and gave the Broncos possession inside the redzone. He finished that game with completions on two of four passes with two interceptions and only one total yard.

The next week against Western Michigan, Haywood gave Dysert another chance and the freshman demonstrated vast improvement. Playing a new set of Broncos Dysert completed three of seven passes for 74 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. In two possessions, he guided the RedHawks on touchdown drives of 80 and 62 yards.

"He did a nice job when he went into the game (at Western Michigan)," Haywood said. "He showed awareness and scramble-ability, and he showed much more confidence that he did the week before at Boise. His eyes weren't as big as saucers anymore."

Both Miami and its Saturday opponent Kent State University (1-2) have endured season ending injuries to their respective best offensive players. The RedHawks lost leading wide out Chris Givens to a shoulder tear while the Golden Flashes lost star senior running back Eugene Jarvis to a kidney injury. Sources told The Cleveland Plain Dealer that a physical exam revealed that Jarvis' injured kidney is the only one he was born with.

Jarvis rushed for 798 yards as a red-shirt freshman, 1,699 yards as a sophomore and 801 yards during an injury-plagued junior season. He opened the 2009 campaign with 143 yards against Coastal Carolina before suffering the kidney injury at Boston College.

Haywood refused to acknowledge that Jarvis' absence gives the RedHawks an advantage. His defensive game plan for Saturday remains highly focused on stopping the run.

"Their second team running back is as good as anyone we have," Haywood said.

The Golden Flashes are likely to be without their starting quarterback as well. Sophomore gunslinger Giorgio Morgan, who took over quarterbacking duties in light of Julian Edelman's departure to the NFL, played most of the season's first two games with a badly sprained left ankle. He missed Kent State's third game, however, and KSU Head Coach Doug Martin told ESPN that he is still really hampered, is not moving well and does not want to put him in a game until he can protect himself and play to his abilities.

Even without his starting quarterback and running back, Martin remains confident in his team's ability to perform.

"I guarantee right now we're going to have a winning season, and we're going to a bowl game," Martin told the Plain Dealer. "I'm burning the ships."

Miami's defensive captain Jordan Gafford believes Kent State runs a unique style of offense. He said they route run non-traditional routes and implement a unique protection scheme. Because the Golden Flashes' offense is so different from anything the RedHawks have seen thus far, Gafford noted that preparation this week in practice becomes even more important.

The Miami D played more like an F in the first three games, giving up more than 40 points in all three contests. Against Western Michigan, however, the score may have been inflated due to the offense's frequent turnovers inside its own territory. Even so, Gafford refused to use this as an excuse. Instead, he looks at it as a challenge.

"We can't look at the offense as a separate unit from us," Gafford said. "The offense is like our brother, so when we get in tough spots like that we go out with the mindset of 'Hey, my brother needs me right now.'"

To turn the tide of defensive meltdowns, Gafford said they are focusing on playing fast and physical against Kent State.

"The first rule of defense is to get out of control," Gafford said. "You want to knock someone back."

While the defense gets out of control, the RedHawks will try to get their season under control as they look for the first win of the year. A victory against the Golden Flashes would even Miami's conference record at 1-1. The contest marks Miami's fourth consecutive game away from Oxford during a season in which the RedHawks make only one appearance at Yager Stadium during their first seven games.