Good, bad and ugly of MU football

By The good news | September 14, 2009

Dan KuklaNine months ago, the Miami University community lifted up hosannas and laid down palm branches as Coach Haywood rode gloriously into Oxford. After watching a less-than-majestic start to the season, I just hope nobody starts yelling, "Crucify him!" Losing the first two games by a combined score of 90-0 certainly failed to meet the hopes and expectations of the Miami faithful. But before anyone lights a torch, we need to realize Haywood's proverbial kingdom is not of this year but of one yet to come.Right now Haywood is coaching a team comprised mostly of "Shame" Montgomery recruits. I'm not saying those players are second-class citizens. The stats, however, are saying they are the same players who posted a 2-10 record last season. Rich Rodriguez and the Wolverines found out last season what happens when players don't match a coach's system. Give Haywood time. Give him at least one, probably two more recruiting classes before expecting to see real, substantial change. As for the here and now, I think a good and honest conversation concerning just that needs to take place.The good newsAmidst all the forehead slapping, fist pounding and object throwing it may be hard to notice the positives from Miami's first two defeats. Although few and far between, however, I assure you they are there. For starters, the RedHawks remained undefeated in MAC play and that generally is the only record that really matters around here. A significant change from last year is that MU receivers are consistently catching the ball. Chris Givens especially impressed me the last two weekends with his ability to make grabs in traffic. With the exception of one series during the Boise State game, the RedHawks seem to have eliminated sloppy penalties, another plague of 2008. Finally, six true freshmen started in either one or both of Miami's games, meaning this team is loaded with young talent.The bad newsSix true freshmen started in either one or both of Miami's games, meaning this team has lots of youth and inexperience. There will be plenty of growing pains as Haywood develops the youngsters and motivates the veterans by giving a healthy dose of playing time to underclassmen. Playing three (really four) road games to start the season doesn't help matters either, and when the 'Hawks finally do play at home they get the defending Big East champs. Buffalo, Bowling Green and Toledo are also shaping up to be difficult contests in Oxford as well. With this schedule and youth, Miami fans need to keep extremely conservative expectations for the win column this year. A better gauge of success and failure in 2009 will be how this team develops as a unit. This means the progressive elimination of mistakes and progressive improvement in executing plays on both offense and defense.The ugly newsMiami's quarterbacks are a complete mess right now. Fifth-year senior Dan Raudabaugh showed flashes of brilliance in the early portions of both games with his ability to complete passes on the run. His accuracy on passes more than 20 yards, however, is miserable. Raudabaugh's longest completion went for 22 yards, and he is only averaging 8.2 yards per successful pass. Tack on his four interceptions and it makes you hungry for Dysert. But when the highly desired appearance of the red-shirt freshman QB finally did come, his performance didn't taste so great either. The two of four with two picks stat line was hard to swallow for everyone involved, coaches, players and fans alike. I am strongly opposed to burning Austin Boucher's red shirt during a season such as this, so it's up to the vet and the rook to get their acts together. For a team that doesn't run the ball particularly well, quarterback play will make or break Miami's season in 2009.Former New York Jets Head Coach Herm Edwards is famous for exclaiming, "You play to win the game!" Right now, however, the ugly truth for the RedHawks is that developing as a team may be a higher priority. Don't worry though, when the belief of his followers began to fade, Jesus performed miracles to provide the means for faith. Perhaps Haywood will dial up a touchdown next week to raise our spirits.