I know most fans have already given up on this football team. I know most people are saying the season is over, and the Oct. 9 home hockey opener against St. Cloud State cannot come soon enough. I'm here to say, it's still football season, and we still need to support the team.

No one can question my hockey fan credentials. I've broadcast 32 hockey games on WMSR in the past two seasons, have not missed a game and followed the team to Washington last season. But I'm also a RedHawk football fan, and even through these tough days, I'm still hoping this team can turn it around.

Am I an optimist? Yes. Am I a realist? Yes. I know this football team has not played well thus far this season. They were outscored 105-0 before finding the end zone in the 3rd quarter against Western Michigan. But 26 points later, this team showed it has plenty of fight left.

So instead of dwelling on the negatives, let's talk about the positives. Call me a homer. Tell me I'm wasting my time rooting for this team. I'll tell you I'm a Miami University student and I root for my football team win or lose, and I hope you will too. So without further ado, here are the positives we should dwell on as Miami goes to Kent State looking for its first victory of the season.

First, we have a new quarterback. Zac Dysert will get his first start against Kent Saturday. Hats off to Dan Raudabaugh, who whether you liked him or not, still managed to be the fifth Miami quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards in his career. But the coaching has decided it's time to start looking for the future, which means young talent is going to start to develop. The experience the young RedHawks gain the rest of the season may lead to the renaissance of the most storied football school in the history of the MAC.

Second, the RedHawks showed they can put drives together. Both Raudabaugh and Dysert put together impressive drives in the second half. Both quarterbacks, especially Dysert, can use these successes to be more assertive Saturday. His decisiveness will be key as he can expect to see plenty of blitzing from the Golden Flashes this weekend. Dysert, a highly prized recruit, had a rough debut against Boise State, but the sooner he gets involved in game action, the faster he'll learn the defenses and lead Miami to victory.

Third, 26 second-half points proved that Miami can score. With three TDs through the air and one on the ground, Miami showed they can take the ball to pay dirt. The RedHawks will have to do it with more consistency. The offense will have to carry a defense that has given up more than 40 points per game this season. However, with the second half rush, Miami now has more confidence in their offense. If they can build upon what they accomplished last week, we should see more points from the Red and White.

Finally, if all else fails, realize that 0-12 is really hard to do. So root for the team to win that one game. Then, when they do, root for them to win that next game. The 'Hawks are 0-3. But there are 9 games remaining on the schedule. With only two victories last season, the RedHawks could go 3-6 and be better than last year. So at least support this team as they try to get better, and show improvement from last season. Only one team went 0-12 last season. That was Washington. 2007 saw no completely defeated teams. 2006 had two 0-for teams. So the odds are certainly against going 0-12.

Please keep the faith and support the team. I know I'll still be hoping for Miami to get the first Saturday - I hope you will be too.