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Armand Robinson pulls in a Zac Dysert pass on the way to a 62-yard touchdown. Below right, tight end Kendrick Bruton cradles his first career touchdown. Bottom left, Evan Harris completes a 56-yard interception return for a TD. Photos by Mike Smith.

“We didn’t think we brought our ‘A Game’ in the first half of the Eastern Michigan game,” MU Head Coach Michael Haywood said.

The victory marked the first time Miami (2-1) has posted back-to-back wins since defeating Buffalo and Akron in November of 2007. Colorado State, meanwhile, fell to its third straight loss in as many outings in 2010 and has now lost 12 straight since a win over Nevada on Sept. 19 of last year.

Miami’s victory in the second encounter between the schools serves as another classic example of the power of turnovers. Colorado State actually owned a slight advantage in total offense yards (306-299). But four turnovers – a pair of interceptions and two lost fumbles – undermined the visitors’ efforts on their first trip to southwestern Ohio.

“We wanted to put a lot of pressure on them on first and second down,” said Haywood, who was nonetheless disappointed by CSU’s 7-of-14 third-down conversion success.

The pressure – and its effect - were evident midway through the second period when linebackers Ryan Kennedy and Evan Harris teamed up for the game’s biggest play. Kennedy, who again filled in for injured Luke Kelly and again led the RedHawks in tackles (eight), was closing in on Thomas, who hurried his pass. Harris found himself on the receiving end, grabbing his first pick since youth football.

First, “I was like, ‘Please, don’t drop it,’” Harris said. After picking up a key block from Kelly, the 6-0, 228-pound sophomore raced up the right sideline with a new mantra – “Please don’t let them catch me.”

Nobody did, and the Harris’ 56-yard interception return gave Miami a 17-3 lead after Trevor Cook’s PAT. “All week long, we’ve been talking about scoring on defense,” Harris said.

There may also have been some talk about sacks and stuffing the run. In addition to shutting down the Rams running game (one net yard), MU sacked freshman quarterback Pete Thomas five times. Even when they didn’t get to Thomas, the RedHawks were often close enough to affect the play.

“We struggled offensively, obviously. We did not play very well up front. We did not protect like we are capable of protecting, and obviously we struggled in the run game,” Rams Head Coach Steve Fairchild said. “We open up the game (with) an eight-man protection (and) we take a sack. That should absolutely never happen. … That kind of set the tone on how we were going to play.”

Not only did the Rams commit four turnovers, but they were also flagged seven times for 60 yards after entering the game ranked second in the nation in fewest penalties (three). Several of Saturday’s were particularly costly.

“We’re a much better offense than we’re showing right now, and I do believe that if we continue to improve and the quarterback gets a little more experience this is going to be a pretty good offense,” Fairchild said.

While the Rams mentor acknowledged offensive struggles, he felt his team played “pretty well” defensively. “We got after them pretty good,” Fairchild said.

Indeed, Miami quarterback Zac Dysert was sacked four times for 22 yards, and the RedHawks ended up with 68 net yards on the ground.

Were it not for the sacks and a couple costly mistakes, however, Miami’s rushing numbers might have looked better. Before subtracting 87 yards in losses, MU owned 155 yards rushing. Freshman Tracy Woods, getting the call after senior Thomas Merriweather went out early with an injury, accounted for 92 of those yards on 19 carries.

After Harris’ interception gave Miami some breathing room just before intermission, Miami quickly forced the visitors into a punt situation on the Rams first possession of the third quarter.  DeMarco Paine picked up just nine yards on the return, but a CSU face mask penalty set MU up at the Colorado State 36-yard line.

An eight-yard pass to Danny Green preceded two Green rushes for a total of 13 yards. Dysert then found a wide-open Kendrick Bruton in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown. “I lined up at tackle, and they didn’t make any adjustment,” Bruton said.

Another Rams miscue quickly ended CSU’s first drive of the final stanza. After picking up a first down at the MU 43 with a 20-yard pass to Byron Steele, Thomas attempted a pass down the right sideline. Miami senior Brandon Stephens picked off the throw and returned it 31 yards.

Dysert, who connected on 18-of-22 passes for 231 yards with no interceptions, added his third touchdown of the day late in the fourth quarter when he found Armand Robinson down the right sideline for a 62-yard touchdown play. Cook’s PAT made it 31-3.

Colorado State, which opened the day’s scoring on a 25-yard Ben Deline field goal, also closed scoring. Thomas hit Matt Yemm on a six-yarder to cap a nine-play, 71-yard drive with 1:14 remaining. Deline added the extra point for the final 31-10 score.

Thomas, a 6-5, 218-pound true freshman, completed 26-of-40 with one TD and two interceptions on the day. “He’s going to be who he is right now … (but) I think he is somebody we can really build on,” Fairchild said.

Miami, meanwhile, hopes it can continue its building process. “We’ve got a little momentum going now,” Haywood said. “We have to play with great intensity. We have to play dangerous and relentless for 60 minutes.”

NOTES: After playing twice on the home turf at Yager Stadium, Miami travels to Missouri next week. The Tigers are 3-0 after holding off San Diego State 27-24 Saturday. They opened the season with a 23-13 win over Illinois.
- Colorado State will return home next week after opening with three road games. Idaho provides the opposition.
- It appears as though Miami is once again developing a solid corps of linebackers. After watching Ryan Kennedy again lead the team in tackles, Haywood indicated the RedHawks staff may have to make some adjustments for Kennedy or Luke Kelly to play once Kelly returns from the injury that put Kennedy in a starting role. “Before Luke Kelly stepped down with a shoulder problem, he was the best linebacker on the field,” Haywood said. “Now the guy that steps in to replace him is the best linebacker on the field, so we have to find a place for those guys to play. They’re going to be on the field somewhere.
- Keeping some players on the field is another issue for the RedHawks, who continue to deal with injuries to Brandon Brooks and Bob Gulley. Haywood noted Brook's unavailability wasn't known until later in the week and limited the amount of reps for replacements.
- MU slipped to 5-of-12 on third down conversions and was 0-2 inside the red zone. Both are areas in which Haywood is expecting improvement this year.
- Placekicker Trevor Cook is still perfect for 2010. He has converted all eight PATs, as well as each of four field goal attempts.
- Andy Cruse led Miami with five catches (40 yards). Bruton and Justin Semmes registered their first career touchdowns.