A rivalry close to home: Grant Lyons reflects on Battle for the Victory Bell

For Miami University senior defensive lineman Grant Lyons, the Battle for the Victory Bell has always been close to home.

Lyons grew up in Cincinnati and attended St. Xavier High School before making the move north to Oxford. Now a senior at Miami, he has experienced highs and lows of the rivalry, including the RedHawks’ victory over the Bearcats during his sophomore season.

Miami and the University of Cincinnati will meet again at 3:30 p.m., Sept. 19 for the 129th matchup between the two programs. More than a century later, the Victory Bell remains at the center of one of college football’s oldest rivalries.

Despite growing up in Cincinnati, Lyons said his approach to the rivalry has remained consistent throughout his career at Miami.

“I wouldn’t say there’s been too much change, to be honest with you,” Lyons said. “I think for the most part, seeing how guys took on that game my freshman year, and then seeing us win sophomore year shows me that we can go out there and compete with anybody we’re out there with.”

For Lyons, preparing for Cincinnati means following the same process he uses every week: preparing his body, studying and being ready to play on Saturday.That mentality reflects a larger theme of Lyons’ career at Miami — growth.

Lyons arrived in Oxford as a linebacker recovering from an ACL injury. He said he wasn’t the player he wanted to be when he first joined the program. Instead of ignoring that reality, he changed the way he practiced and studied film.

“I realized that I needed to alter how I went about practice, alter how I went about film, and I had to get better,” Lyons said. “The biggest thing is to not shy away from it.”

That approach helped Lyons transition from linebacker to defensive end and eventually become a starter on the RedHawk defensive line.

Defensive line coach Isiah Dunning said Lyons’ experience has made him especially valuable. As a new coach working with the defensive line, Dunning has relied on Lyons’ knowledge of Miami’s defense and the program.

“He’s been through it, the ups and the downs with this program in that defensive line room,” Dunning said.

Dunning also said Lyons’ leadership and communication has been crucial for the group. During practices and games, Lyons is often the player making sure the rest of the defense is on the same page.

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“He’s the one that’s going to get the guys going,” Dunning said. “He’s the one that’s going to say the right stuff to make sure guys are on point.”

Lyons’ path to becoming a starting defensive end has not been based solely on physical ability. Dunning said Lyons demonstrates how preparation and consistency can matter as much as traditional measurements of talent.

“He’s not the biggest, the strongest, the fastest [or] the most athletic, but there’s a reason he’s our starting defensive end,” Dunning said. “He can execute and do his job at a very high level.”

Dunning has also seen Lyons improve physically. When he first evaluated the defensive line, he wanted Lyons to become more physical on the edge. Since spring practice, Dunning said Lyons has made significant progress in that area while continuing to develop as a pass rusher who can contribute from multiple positions.

Lyons has challenged himself away from football as well. He is pursuing two majors, finance and real estate, all while balancing the demands of Division I football.

For Lyons, the biggest lesson from being a student athlete goes beyond the time-management skills that come with balancing school and football. His experience taught him the difference between simply completing something and trying to become great at it.

“Mediocrity is pretty easy,” Lyons said. “To choose to be great and to choose to try to strive to get A’s and also be a great football player, you have to wake up with a mindset and intent that ‘I’m not working to be just average. I’m working to be the guy.’”

That mindset now brings Lyons back to a rivalry he has known since the beginning of his Miami career.

For Dunning, the history and proximity between the two schools make the matchup unique. It also gives Miami’s players an opportunity to compete against a program from a larger conference while continuing a rivalry that has lasted for over a century.

As he enters the final stretch of his Miami career, that consistency reflects the growth that has taken him from an injured freshman linebacker to an experienced senior leader on the defensive line.

lightje@miamioh.edu