 Miami RB Andre Bratton / Photo: Mike Smith Nickson gained 166 yards on the ground and was 9-of-16 passing to lead visiting Vanderbilt to a 34-13 victory in a season opener that marked the first visit of an SEC team to Oxford.
“It was a very disappointing loss tonight,” Miami coach Shane Montgomery said after the game. “Being an SEC-team, you know that they have quality athletes, and they showed us that tonight.”
Although Miami took advantage of a Vanderbilt fumble to grab an early lead with a Jared Parseghian 37-yard field goal at 11:08 of the first quarter, it was soon Vanderbilt who benefited from turnovers.
First, the Commodores marched 71 yards on eight plays for one of the few sustained drives on the evening. Nickson’s 49-yard completion to Sean Walker took the visitors to the Miami one-yard line. Three plays later, he found Walker in the back of the end zone for the score. Bryant Hanfeldt’s PAT made it 7-3.
It took the Commodores just one Miami play from scrimmage to get the ball back as D. J. Moore intercepted a Raudabaugh pass at the Miami 20-yard line. Miami’s defense stiffened, forcing the visitors to kick a field goal at 6:23 of the first quarter to make it 10-3.
Miami took the following kickoff and marched into Vanderbilt territory but facing a fourth-and-17 situation, the RedHawks called on punter Jake Richardson. The senior dropped the ball inside the 10, but it was into the hands of Moore, who was one of the most versatile players in the nation in 2007. As a sophomore, the cornerback shared the SEC lead in interceptions and was among the conference leaders in solo tackles.
Moore also had one of the finest kickoff return seasons in Commodore history (25.7 per return) and averaged 13.0 yards on six rushing attempts while taking on an offensive role. Moore may be able to top it all this year as he undertakes punt return duties.
The junior embraced the role quickly against Miami as he promptly returned Richardson’s punt 91 yards to the hosts’ one-yard-line. Three plays later, Nickson bounced into the end zone, building Vandy's lead to 17-3.
 |
Miami WR Eugene Harris on his way to the end-zone.
Photo: Mike Smith |
Miami managed to cut the lead to seven points with an eight-play, 83-yard drive in the second quarter after Raudabaugh connected with Eugene Harris on a 30-yard scoring strike. .
The momentum didn’t last long however as Nickson ran a keeper for 59 yards on the Commondores’ first play from scrimmage. Two plays later, Nickson took it 14 yards around left end. The extra point made it 24-10. By halftime, it was 27-10.
“We knew they were going to run the ball with Nickson. Obviously, we did not do a very good job against him,” Montgomery said. Even when Nickson wasn’t picking up yardage on his own, he frequently used his speed and agility to avoid a pesky RedHawks rush in passing situations.
“It feels great to be back,” said Nickson, who has battled back from injury.
“Chris Nickson showed that when he is healthy, he is a threat running the football, said Montgomery, who felt the first half was, in part, of tale of opportunities used and opportunities wasted.
“We just did not take advantage of any opportunities that we had. In the first half, we moved the ball somewhat effectively. We left some points up there. They answered twice. Both times that we scored, they went down and answered and came back with touchdowns.”
While Montgomery felt the RedHawks could mount a challenge in the second half, Vanderbilt’s defense limited Miami to a 29-yard Parseghian third quarter field goal. A final Miami drive covering 77 yards ended with a Josh Allen interception of a Raudabaugh pass into the end zone.
Playing against a largely veteran defense with the entire secondary returning for action in ’08, Raudabaugh and the Miami receiving corps found it a tough night to open. The junior signal caller was 19-for-42 with three interceptions.
“You’ve got to give Vanderbilt credit. “They played very well,” Montgomery said.
After getting a taste of the SEC at home, the RedHawks will travel to Big Ten country next for a Sept. 6 matchup with Michigan where new coach Rich Rodriguez, formerly of West Virginia University, brings his spread offense to Ann Arbor. That could mean Miami will face another quarterback who likes to run. However, at least for this year, Rodriguez will need to blend his offense with players who were recruited to play in another system.
As for the RedHawks, Montgomery indicated it was back to work after a mixed showing in which his team came up short.
“We have got a lot of work to do. When we look at the film, we will see some things that weren’t very good, but we will also see some things that weren’t as bad as they seem,” Montgomery said.
"They are a good team,” Johnson said of Miami. “They had some good schemes, and we are very pleased to come away with a win.” |
