2008 Woodie Awards
MAC game of the week
East Division leaders meet in Oxford
By: Eric Wallace
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
More than just bragging rights are on the line as Miami University hosts Buffalo in a meeting of the top two teams in the Mid-American Conference East Division.
The winners will help themselves in the MAC standings Saturday at Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio.
A Bulls win would give them a share of the division title with just two games remaining. A win for the RedHawks would give Miami the tiebreaker against Buffalo and put them at the top of the division.
The magnitude of the game has sunk in among the RedHawks, and coach Shane Montgomery is readying his players for one of the biggest games of this season.
"When you're dealing with 18 to 22-year-olds, you have to make sure they keep focused on your priority, and right now our priority is to play a good game against Buffalo," Montgomery told the Oxford Press. "You can try not to talk about it all you want, but everybody realizes what's at stake. … We're not going to talk about it a whole lot. They realize the magnitude of this game."
The RedHawks have never lost to the Bulls, leading the conference series 9-0. But don't expect Miami to overlook these new-look Bulls.
"You're facing a team that's typically at the bottom of the standings," Montgomery said. "All you have to do is look at the standings now."
Buffalo looks to earn its first bid for the MAC Championship. Coach Turner Gill is in just his second season, trying to turn a program around that has struggled the last few seasons.
One of the reasons for the turnaround is the play of quarterback Drew Wiley, Gill said.
"He's not forcing throws," Gill told the Buffalo News. "We're telling him who the guys are that he needs to read on every throw, so that's sinking in. He is thinking like a coach, and he is on his way, no question about it."
sports@cm-life.com
The winners will help themselves in the MAC standings Saturday at Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio.
A Bulls win would give them a share of the division title with just two games remaining. A win for the RedHawks would give Miami the tiebreaker against Buffalo and put them at the top of the division.
The magnitude of the game has sunk in among the RedHawks, and coach Shane Montgomery is readying his players for one of the biggest games of this season.
"When you're dealing with 18 to 22-year-olds, you have to make sure they keep focused on your priority, and right now our priority is to play a good game against Buffalo," Montgomery told the Oxford Press. "You can try not to talk about it all you want, but everybody realizes what's at stake. … We're not going to talk about it a whole lot. They realize the magnitude of this game."
The RedHawks have never lost to the Bulls, leading the conference series 9-0. But don't expect Miami to overlook these new-look Bulls.
"You're facing a team that's typically at the bottom of the standings," Montgomery said. "All you have to do is look at the standings now."
Buffalo looks to earn its first bid for the MAC Championship. Coach Turner Gill is in just his second season, trying to turn a program around that has struggled the last few seasons.
One of the reasons for the turnaround is the play of quarterback Drew Wiley, Gill said.
"He's not forcing throws," Gill told the Buffalo News. "We're telling him who the guys are that he needs to read on every throw, so that's sinking in. He is thinking like a coach, and he is on his way, no question about it."
sports@cm-life.com
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