If a building burns down, no one expects it to be built right back up the next day.
If a football team goes from MAC East Champion glory to going just 2-10 the following season, not winning a single game at home - it better be fixed right away.
This season of Miami University football was less than stellar; we can all agree to that.
Everyone has said it. President David Hodge has joked about how he hasn't seen a Miami football home win, and Athletic Director Brad Bates probably didn't sleep too well at night during the dismal season that was Miami football.
With football's spring practices underway, I think everyone expects to see some change. Not just small changes either - big changes - and fast.
That is the curse with college or even professional athletics: If you don't get it right once, you normally don't have a lot of time to turn it around.
This might be true for Head Coach Shane Montgomery.
It's been two years since Miami went to a bowl game. After going to both the GMAC Bowl and the Independence Bowl in consecutive years, the RedHawks have sat at home during bowl season the past two years, much to the disappointment of their fans.
Montgomery needs to get this team headed in the right direction, and that won't be an easy task especially after losing 16 seniors - most importantly two-time all-MAC safety Joey Card, who will trade the pigskin for a sheep skin at the end of this year.
There are some big holes to fill for next season, and although injuries are always a problem, they are part of the game and need to be something the RedHawks can overcome.
Besides quarterback Mike Kokal, who will be returning for his second season under center, the offensive players that are returning for Miami don't make me jump for joy.
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Kokal did rank second in the MAC in passing last season, something a lot of people might not have known as it was hidden by the fact he threw more interceptions late in the game when Miami might have had a shot to win.
Who's to say that Kokal will be our starting quarterback during the 2007-08 season?
As the returning starter, it seems as though the job is his to lose. He will have stiff competition from backup Daniel Raudabaugh and incoming first-year Clay Belton - who I quickly became a fan of after seeing his scouting tapes.
If only you could have seen the cannon on Belton, you would understand what I mean. After reading his scouting reports, I came to the conclusion that he is an all-around great quarterback. He is still young and will definitely need to be groomed for collegiate football, but at the first sign of struggle from Kokal, I'm calling for Belton.
So with the quarterback carousel in motion, who will run the ball for Miami? That is a question Montgomery wished he could've answered this year.
Miami's top returning rusher, Andre Bratton, ran just 285 yards and scored four touchdowns. Next best was Brandon Murphy who was supposed to be the star running back, but just couldn't get healthy all season.
Oh by the way, Kokal was third in rushing, with 277 yards, just eight yards behind Bratton for first. Kokal also had three touchdowns, one behind Bratton.
Oh, and Kokal ain't no Michael Vick. Hopefully Montgomery has some blueprints for the running back situation.
Looking at Miami's wide receivers- it doesn't get much better.
Ryne Robinson, our savior, the reason students went to football games, is gone. Miami's all-time record holder in receiving and punt-returning yards had to graduate at some point.
Taking over for him will be my personal favorite, Dustin Woods. Woods really stepped up this season when teams started to take Robinson out of the picture. He had a little over one-fifth of Kokal's passing yards, accumulating 506 yards and four touchdowns during the season.
Unfortunately, after Woods things go south ... way south.
Miami's next leading receiver is Sean McVay, with a whopping 198 yards receiving and a grand total of zero touchdowns. Behind him is wide receiver Tom Crabtree. His 124 yards and one touchdown don't make me too excited for this next year's aerial game.
Needless to say, I think everyone, including Montgomery, is praying that the 23 incoming freshmen really have a huge impact on the team next year.
Let's hope that the team turns around from a 2-10 season and makes a run back to the top of the MAC to reclaim the glory they have had in previous seasons.
If not, Montgomery and I might both be leaving Miami next year.
Except when I leave, it'll be called graduating, when Montgomery leaves, it'll be called something much worse.
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