Sports

OXFORD — In addition to everything else that has gone wrong for the Miami University football team this year, it now appears the RedHawks' timing is bad.

The RedHawks feel what coach Shane Montgomery calls "a sense of urgency" to get the season on the right track, but they can't any help today, Oct. 11, by playing a Northern Illinois team that went 2-10 last year.

This year's Huskies are far different, far better, and they have a senior who is far and away the most feared defensive lineman in the Mid-American Conference.

"They're very similar to where we were last year," Montgomery said. "They're playing with a lot more confidence because they're a veteran crew and are staying away from some of the injuries that hurt them last year."

NIU is 2-3 but has won two of its last three, lost by only three points at Tennessee last week, has allowed just one touchdown over the last 12 quarters and leads the MAC in scoring defense, rushing defense, total defense and turnover margin.

"They have one of the best defensive players in the league in Larry English," Montgomery said, referring to the Huskies' 6-foot-3, 255-pound senior defensive end who has 46 tackles for loss and 27 sacks for his career. "He's a tremendous football player, a big, physical kid who is very athletic. He makes plays all over the field."

English is one of two things the RedHawks will try to avoid. The other is a repeat of the first five games, in which they got off to terrible starts.

The 28-10 loss to Temple last week was the fifth straight game the RedHawks had fallen behind by double digits in the first half, Montgomery said.

The RedHawks trailed Vanderbilt by 17 points at halftime in the season opener, trailed Michigan 10-0 after the first quarter, trailed Charleston Southern 13-0 early in the second quarter, trailed Cincinnati by 14 points midway through the second quarter and last week trailed Temple 14-0 at halftime.

"The biggest thing for us is, we've got to get off to a better start," Montgomery said. "We are not a good-enough football team to consistently get behind and then come back and win. You have to play an almost perfect game and shut them down the rest of the way."

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.