Spring Break
Fresh start on horizon for football
Mike Zoller
Issue date: 8/21/07 Section: Sports
I'll admit that I gave the 2006 Miami University football team a lot of flack after their dismal season, its first losing season since 1989.
But who could blame me?
The team went just 2-10 and was unable to win a game at Yager Stadium. They consistently gave away the game with interceptions or other careless mistakes when leading late or were attempting to make a last-minute comeback. Game after game students and fans left Yager or turned off their TV's and radios, disappointed and winless.
So why am I so excited for the 2007 season?
First off, the team knows that they were in a lot of games last season. In fact, six of the RedHawks' 10 losses were by 10 points or less. A year older and a year wiser, some of the mistakes down the stretch will hopefully be corrected.
But numbers don't win football games, so I headed down to Yager to watch a little bit of the summer practice sessions.
Instead of finding a team kicking itself from last year, I saw a team focused and determined to bring themselves back to the storied program they once were.
The team that left the field after losing to Ohio University the day after Thanksgiving last year came back to Oxford this summer with a completely different look.
I can't explain it, but there was a buzz in the air during the workouts that made me believe that this team turned the page on the 2006 season.
I noticed several big changes from the 2006 to the 2007 summer sessions.
Unlike during the 2006 summer workouts, the RedHawks have remained healthy during the intense heat and long practices. Besides some minor bumps and bruises the team's conditioning looks sharp.
The team's star running back, Brandon Murphy, who battled injuries all last season and played in just eight games, is healthy and will hopefully lead the ground attack.
In addition to key injured players staying healthy, the leaders of the team are stepping up and helping fill the gap left by star players Ryne Robinson and Joey Card.
But who could blame me?
The team went just 2-10 and was unable to win a game at Yager Stadium. They consistently gave away the game with interceptions or other careless mistakes when leading late or were attempting to make a last-minute comeback. Game after game students and fans left Yager or turned off their TV's and radios, disappointed and winless.
So why am I so excited for the 2007 season?
First off, the team knows that they were in a lot of games last season. In fact, six of the RedHawks' 10 losses were by 10 points or less. A year older and a year wiser, some of the mistakes down the stretch will hopefully be corrected.
But numbers don't win football games, so I headed down to Yager to watch a little bit of the summer practice sessions.
Instead of finding a team kicking itself from last year, I saw a team focused and determined to bring themselves back to the storied program they once were.
The team that left the field after losing to Ohio University the day after Thanksgiving last year came back to Oxford this summer with a completely different look.
I can't explain it, but there was a buzz in the air during the workouts that made me believe that this team turned the page on the 2006 season.
I noticed several big changes from the 2006 to the 2007 summer sessions.
Unlike during the 2006 summer workouts, the RedHawks have remained healthy during the intense heat and long practices. Besides some minor bumps and bruises the team's conditioning looks sharp.
The team's star running back, Brandon Murphy, who battled injuries all last season and played in just eight games, is healthy and will hopefully lead the ground attack.
In addition to key injured players staying healthy, the leaders of the team are stepping up and helping fill the gap left by star players Ryne Robinson and Joey Card.
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Bruce Weingart
posted 8/21/07 @ 9:48 AM EST
Nice story. Glad to see you are drumming up some support for what will be a very good team this year. Now more importantly, you mentioned the UC game on 9/15/07. (Continued…)
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