2008 Woodie Awards
MU set for 1st place showdown with Buffalo
Nick Bonaventura
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: Sports
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Currently, the Buffalo Bulls have a 3-0 MAC East record and sit on top of the division, while the RedHawks are in a close second with a record of 2-1. With both teams having just three games remaining this season, every win from this point on is crucial.
The winners of Saturday's game will control their own destiny to the MAC championship game.
"This game is as big as it gets," Head Coach Shane Montgomery said. "It's for first place and there are not many games left."
Coming off a dismal 2-10 season last year, the RedHawks find themselves in the middle of a chase for first place just a year later.
"We are one of few teams in the country in week 10 of the season that are playing for first place," said quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh.
With Buffalo losing two weeks ago, Miami had a chance to take the lead in the MAC East and cruise to the championship game. However, with a loss at Temple two weeks ago, the 'Hawks were unable to pull away from the Bulls.
"We realize that we hurt ourselves a couple of weeks ago when we lost to Temple," Montgomery said. "And instead of being in first place now we are a little bit behind. But we also have to realize that this is a game where we control our own destiny. With only three games to go this is obviously a huge football game."
Miami is looking to improve upon its last game, a 24-13 loss to Vanderbilt. The RedHawks led early in the second half 13-10, but were unable to establish much offense to finish out the game. One major issue was the lack of a running game, as Miami picked up just 26 yards on the ground.
"You always want to establish the run," Raudabaugh said. "You don't want to be a one-dimensional team, and the last two weeks we've had to throw the ball a lot."
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Dustin Woods has posed a threat to the competition all season. According to Woods, the ability to effectively throw deep passes downfield is related to how successful the running game is.
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