2008 Woodie Awards
Football team honors former coach, crushes Bowling Green 47-14
Adam Hainsfurther
Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: Front Page
Yager Stadium was the site for a host of events Saturday afternoon, as Miami University honored former RedHawk and current Pittsburgh Steeler Ben Roethlisberger back to Oxford to retire his No. 7 jersey.
"That was my goal growing up, was to try to get my high school, college, and pro number retired," Roethlisberger said. "Of all the things kids want, I don't know how I got this crazy idea in my head, but I wanted to get that done."
The ceremony was prior to Miami's 47-14 victory over Bowling Green State University. The win was the third-straight victory for Miami as the team stayed perfect in Mid-American Conference play.
Miami's offense lit up the scoreboard early and often throughout the entire game with quarterback Dan Raudabaugh in for the injured Mike Kokal. The RedHawks drove down the field and scored on their first possession of the game on a 21-yard touchdown run by senior running back Austin Sykes, who had a career-high 124 yards on 17 carries, including two touchdowns.
"It felt great to come out and give it my best," Sykes said. "We just had a great week of practice. The offensive line had been very confident. I called my dad yesterday and said 'We're going to have a great game tomorrow' and he asked me why and I said, 'We had our best practice of the season.'"
Raudabaugh also came out with one of his best games of the season, throwing for 237 on 16 completions and ended the day with a quarterback rating of 112.7. His one touchdown on the day was a 73-yard bomb to Eugene Harris with about a minute left in the first half.
"I thought I played alright," Raudabaugh said. "I feel like I put the team in the best situation at certain times. I didn't try to do too much; I did what was asked of me."
At the half, the score was 30-7. During halftime, Miami paid tribute to Terry Hoeppner who passed away this June and was the coach of the RedHawks from 1999-2004.
"It was a great day; it was really a perfect day," Miami Head Coach Shane Montgomery said. "We were able to honor before the game and at halftime, two of the greats in Miami history, with Ben (Roethlisberger), and in honor of Terry Hoeppner. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day. I thought we played a terrific football game, by far our most complete game of the year, offensively, defensively and special teams."
"That was my goal growing up, was to try to get my high school, college, and pro number retired," Roethlisberger said. "Of all the things kids want, I don't know how I got this crazy idea in my head, but I wanted to get that done."
The ceremony was prior to Miami's 47-14 victory over Bowling Green State University. The win was the third-straight victory for Miami as the team stayed perfect in Mid-American Conference play.
Miami's offense lit up the scoreboard early and often throughout the entire game with quarterback Dan Raudabaugh in for the injured Mike Kokal. The RedHawks drove down the field and scored on their first possession of the game on a 21-yard touchdown run by senior running back Austin Sykes, who had a career-high 124 yards on 17 carries, including two touchdowns.
"It felt great to come out and give it my best," Sykes said. "We just had a great week of practice. The offensive line had been very confident. I called my dad yesterday and said 'We're going to have a great game tomorrow' and he asked me why and I said, 'We had our best practice of the season.'"
Raudabaugh also came out with one of his best games of the season, throwing for 237 on 16 completions and ended the day with a quarterback rating of 112.7. His one touchdown on the day was a 73-yard bomb to Eugene Harris with about a minute left in the first half.
"I thought I played alright," Raudabaugh said. "I feel like I put the team in the best situation at certain times. I didn't try to do too much; I did what was asked of me."
At the half, the score was 30-7. During halftime, Miami paid tribute to Terry Hoeppner who passed away this June and was the coach of the RedHawks from 1999-2004.
"It was a great day; it was really a perfect day," Miami Head Coach Shane Montgomery said. "We were able to honor before the game and at halftime, two of the greats in Miami history, with Ben (Roethlisberger), and in honor of Terry Hoeppner. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day. I thought we played a terrific football game, by far our most complete game of the year, offensively, defensively and special teams."
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