The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

[Careless Whisper]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

I notice your in season recruiting targets list seems to dwindle as the season goes along, is that just a matter of you not letting yourself add anyone to the recruiting board after setting things up initially until the offseason or something else?

You pick 12 guys at the start, and you have to stick to it. You can’t add anyone. Eventually the prospects will faze out a top 5 and if your not in it, you can’t get them. Usually you’ll get 3-4 guys in season.


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Pretty much what josh said. I only can target so many guys at the beginning and then as I get dropped from their top fives and such, I can't replace them with anyone. I don't think I've landed more than 5-6 guys once they implemented in-season recruiting in the older titles, and there have been plenty of times where I'll get no one.

So yeah once they've dropped me from their top fives and all, I've dropped them from my Tartan Tidbits post, haha. I think maybe next year I'll still continue to keep tabs on where the other recruits end up, just in case there's a potential storyline or something there for future seasons.

[moose141]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

Pretty much what josh said. I only can target so many guys at the beginning and then as I get dropped from their top fives and such, I can't replace them with anyone. I don't think I've landed more than 5-6 guys once they implemented in-season recruiting in the older titles, and there have been plenty of times where I'll get no one.

So yeah once they've dropped me from their top fives and all, I've dropped them from my Tartan Tidbits post, haha. I think maybe next year I'll still continue to keep tabs on where the other recruits end up, just in case there's a potential storyline or something there for future seasons.

Gotcha, makes sense. I honestly haven't played those versions of NCAA in so long that I just didn't remember how some of those features were implemented way back when!

[Careless Whisper]

Season 3, Game 6: Bowling Green at Carnegie Mellon

Turnovers Doom Tartans on Thursday Night
CMU gained more yards offensively than BGSU, but turned the ball over four times in a 49-21 loss



Sophomore quarterback Justin Keyes rushed for 124 yards and two scores in the defeat. (Jane Kane / Getty Images)

by Alicia Brown, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Bowling Green took advantage of four Carnegie Mellon turnovers this evening at Gesling Stadium, jumping out to a 28-7 halftime lead before cruising to a 49-21 win in a mid-week Mid-American Conference (MAC) matchup.

Carnegie Mellon (1-5, 1-2 MAC) owned advantages in rushing yards (266-137) and total offense (411-392), but suffered three interceptions and a lost fumble that gave Bowling Green (4-2, 2-1 MAC) control of the contest. The Tartan defense could only muster one turnover – a fourth quarter interception of Falcons backup quarterback Tyler Sheehan – and allowed Anthony Turner to throw for 212 yards and four scores.

“I feel like a broken record but we can’t keep getting off to slow starts,” said third-year head coach John Elliott. “I thought we were pretty even with (Bowling Green) for the majority of the night, but the turnovers made it tough to contend for a win. Two of the interceptions were just excellent plays by their defenders, which really put a damper in what I thought was a solid performance by our offense. Justin (Keyes) was able to move the chains on the ground and Jim (Manning) was efficient with the carries he got.”

Justin Keyes led the way rushing with 124 yards and two scores on 18 carries, while Jim Manning finished four yards shy of 100 on 15 touches. Despite the three interceptions, Keyes did manage to find Penn State transfer Kevin Cousins on a couple of downfield strikes, as the redshirt junior wide receiver tallied 82 yards on three catches.

Turner’s first touchdown pass to Marques Parks was followed by an interception from Antonio Smith near the red zone. After Keyes’ first score cut the gap to 14-7, Turner found Freddie Barnes for a 22-yard touchdown and then added another in the closing stages of the half – the latter coming off a Nate Satele fumble.

Two weeks after tying the NCAA single-game record for interceptions with five, sophomore cornerback Calvin Burton snagged his sixth of the season in the fourth quarter off of Sheehan.

Carnegie Mellon remains at home for the extended week, hosting Miami (Ohio) next on Saturday, October 18.

Bowling Green Falcons at Carnegie Mellon Tartans
Nov 9, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Bowling Green Falcons (4-2, 2-1 MAC)	7	21	14	7	49
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (1-5, 1-2 MAC)	0	7	7	7	21

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		BGSU	CMU
11:13	(BGSU) Anthony Turner 6-yard pass to Marques Parks (Sinisa Vrvilo kick)	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		BGSU	CMU
14:32	(BGSU) Chris Bullock 5-yard run (Sinisa Vrvilo kick)	14	0
7:19	(CMU) Justin Keyes 3-yard run (Jon Foster kick)	14	7
3:10	(BGSU) Anthony Turner 22-yard pass to Freddie Barnes (Sinisa Vrvilo kick)	21	7
1:03	(BGSU) Anthony Turner 2-yard pass to Marques Parks (Sinisa Vrvilo kick)	28	7
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		BGSU	CMU
11:26	(CMU) Justin Keyes 2-yard run (Jon Foster kick)	28	14
5:11	(BGSU) Chris Bullock 3-yard run (Sinisa Vrvilo kick)	35	14
2:49	(BGSU) Anthony Turner 39-yard pass to Corey Partridge (Sinisa Vrvilo kick)	42	14
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		BGSU	CMU
12:17	(CMU) Nate Satele 2-yard run (Jon Foster kick)	42	21
1:09	(BGSU) Tyler Sheehan 43-yard pass to Eric Ransom (Sinisa Vrvilo kick)	49	21

Bowling Green Falcons PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Anthony Turner 15/23 212 4 0 Tyler Sheehan 1/4 43 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Chris Bullock 13 84 6.5 2 Willie Geter 5 39 7.8 0 Anthony Turner 2 12 6.0 0 Eric Ransom 1 3 3.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Marques Parks 6 49 8.2 2 Corey Partridge 5 77 15.4 1 Aaron Davis 2 28 14.0 0 Eric Ransom 1 43 43.0 1 Chris Bullock 1 36 36.0 0 Freddie Barnes 1 22 22.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Diyral Briggs 8 1 0 0 Cody Basler 4 0 0 0 Erique Dozier 3 0 1 0 Antonio Smith 1 0 2 0 Tarell Lewis 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sinisa Vrvilo 0/0 7/7 7 -- PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Nick Iovinelli 1 64 64.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Tyrone Pronty 1 46 46.0 0 Corey Partridge 1 41 41.0 0 Chris Bullock 1 27 27.0 0

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Keyes 11/22 145 0 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Justin Keyes 18 124 6.9 2 Jim Manning 15 96 6.4 0 Nate Satele 3 20 6.7 1 Korey Harper 3 19 6.3 0 Tramon McCollum 1 7 7.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Pete Carlson 4 15 3.7 0 Kevin Cousins 3 82 27.3 0 Stephen Carter 3 20 6.7 0 David Young 1 28 28.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt Johnson 6 0 0 0 Aaron Crosby 5 0 0 0 David Brown 4 0 0 0 Todd Andriano 3 0 0 0 Calvin Burton 2 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jon Foster 0/1 3/3 3 -- KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jim Manning 5 135 27.0 0 Pete Carlson 1 16 16.0 0

[Careless Whisper]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

Around the NCAA – Week 6 Edition
Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Perrilloux moves into the Heisman lead after #2 LSU's 63-0 blanking of Princeton

USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll
1 | USC [33 first-place votes] (5-0)
2 | LSU [26] (6-0)
3 | Michigan [1] (6-0)
4 | Iowa [1] (5-0)
5 | UCLA (4-0)
6 | Penn State (4-1)
7 | Florida State (5-1)
8 | Oklahoma (5-0)
9 | Texas (5-1)
10 | Nebraska (5-1)
11 | Ohio State (4-1)
12 | Missouri (6-0)
13 | Arkansas (4-1)
14 | West Virginia (5-1)
15 | Florida (6-0)
16 | Texas A&M (4-1)
17 | Louisville (6-0)
18 | Virginia Tech (4-2)
19 | Miami (Fla.) (5-1)
20 | Texas Tech (4-2)
21 | Michigan State (4-0)
22 | Tennessee (5-1)
23 | Wisconsin (4-2)
24 | Oklahoma State (4-1)
25 | Clemson (5-1)

Heisman Watch
Ryan Perrilloux, R-Jr., QB, LSU | 180.3 QB rtg., 118-175, 1,638 yards, 20 TD, 3 INT; 48 carries, 231 yards, 3 TD
Kestahn Moore, Sr., HB, Florida | 71 carries, 539 yards, 9 TD; 14 catches, 352 yards, 6 TD
Graham Harrell, R-Sr., QB, Texas Tech | 171.4 QB rtg., 187-262, 2,258 yards, 26 TD (1 rush), 5 INT
Ryan Mallett, R-Fr., QB, Michigan | 175.2 QB rtg., 110-168, 1,677 yards, 18 TD, 8 INT
Jameel Sewell, R-Jr., QB, Virginia | 161.0 QB rtg., 131-200, 1,654 yards, 20 TD, 7 INT; 52 carries, 347 yards, 6 TD

NCAA Players of the Week
Offensive: Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, Sr., QB, Navy | 34 carries, 251 yards, 5 TD in 50-17 win at Air Force
Defensive: Joe Bragg, Sr., DE, Marshall | 9 tackles (2 TFL), 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 TD in 49-28 win against Tulsa

Injury Report
Matthew Stafford, Jr., QB, Georgia | Foot stress fracture (2 weeks)
Bobby Reid, R-Sr., QB, Oklahoma State | Bruised shoulder (3 weeks)
Tom Brandstater, R-Sr., QB, Fresno State | Torn shoulder muscle (6 weeks)
Julio Jones, Fr., WR, Mississippi State | Broken hand (7 weeks)
Don’ta Hightower, Fr., MLB, West Virginia | Broken finger (1 week)

Week 6 Notable Top 25 Scores
#18 Virginia Tech 37, Army 0
#21 Michigan State 38, Northwestern 10
#3 Michigan 24, #23 Wisconsin 17
#4 Iowa 39, Indiana 21
#14 West Virginia 52, Rutgers 17
#2 LSU 63, Princeton 0
#7 Florida State 27, Wake Forest 17
#15 Florida 45, Ole Miss 42
#8 Oklahoma 28, #9 Texas 16
#10 Nebraska 39, #20 Texas Tech 32
#6 Penn State 64, Purdue 7
#22 Tennessee 48, South Carolina 28
#1 USC 51, Washington State 17
#16 Texas A&M 41, Iowa State 21
#25 Clemson 49, Virginia 41

Week 7 National Broadcasts
#16 Texas A&M (4-1) at #24 Oklahoma State (4-1) | 10/18, 12:30 PM
#12 Missouri (6-0) at #9 Texas (5-1) | 10/18, 12:30 PM
#2 LSU (6-0) at #15 Florida (6-0) | 10/18, 3:30 PM (Game of the Week)
#14 West Virginia (5-1) at #17 Louisville (6-0) | 10/18, 3:30 PM
#11 Ohio State (4-1) at #23 Wisconsin (4-2) | 10/18, 6:00 PM
Stanford (0-5) at Notre Dame (3-3) | 10/18, 8:00 PM
#21 Michigan State (4-0) at #4 Iowa (5-0) | 10/18, 8:00 PM
#7 Florida State (5-1) at #19 Miami (Fla.) (5-1) | 10/18, 8:00 PM

[Careless Whisper]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

by Joe Greenberg, Carnegie Mellon insider for Rivals.com

Reserve receiver suspended three games

Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Scott Sanders has been suspended for the next three games, and will miss matchups against Miami (Ohio), Akron, and Ohio.

Sanders, the sixth receiver on the depth chart, violated team rules over the weekend. He has not recorded a stat this season.

Burnsides requesting specific number?

Three-star defensive tackle Matt Burnsides (Hyattsville, Md.), who is making his official visit to Carnegie Mellon this weekend when it plays Miami (Ohio), is hoping to wear his high school number at his next destination.

“29 is just a lucky number,” said Burnsides over the phone earlier this week. “I’ve worn it through Pop Warner, junior high, and now at Northwestern (High School). There was a time where I forgot my jersey in junior high and had to wear 97 – I don’t think I made a tackle and we lost 34-0 or something. I’m not really superstitious, but you can say I am with this.”

Burnsides, a six-foot-three, 280-pound lineman, has CMU as the overwhelming favorite and could make a verbal commitment after his visit. West Virginia and Louisville are the other two finalists.

Tartans become favorite for Muhammad

Three-star center Joey Muhammad (Winnipeg, Manitoba) has moved Carnegie Mellon into the lead for his recruitment, as he looks to trim his list from five schools to three in the next couple of weeks.

“CMU has always been there,” said Muhammad over the phone this week. “They’ve always been contacting, always been saying that they need me on their team next year, and that I’ll be able to play immediately. I appreciate seeing that sort of faith and commitment in me. Carnegie Mellon is a great school and I would love to be a part of its football program.”

Muhammad, a six-foot, 290-pound lineman from Grant Park High School, has the Tartans ahead of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, and Boise State in that order. He would add to the roster’s Canadian delegation, which currently sees freshman Jason Baker (Regina, Saskatchewan) starting at right tackle.

Pruitt removes CMU from consideration

Three-star wide receiver Joey Pruitt (Glenpool, Okla.) has dropped Carnegie Mellon from his college list and will move forward with Texas, Nebraska, and LSU as his final three schools.

“I really appreciate the CMU coaches recruiting me,” said Pruitt over the phone. “I connected with them well and loved the school. But I would be lying if I said their struggles passing the ball didn’t concern me. I’m hoping to make a difference wherever I go, and I don’t think I could have done at unless (Carnegie Mellon) would have improved there.”

Carnegie Mellon In-Season Recruiting Targets
Matt Burnsides, DT, *** (6’3”, 280 lbs.; Hyattsville, Md. / Northwestern) – Top 3, 10/18 Official Visit
Tyrone McMillan, QB, *** (6’4”, 185 lbs.; West New York, N.J. / Memorial) – Top 5
Marcus Cooley, HB, *** (6’2”, 175 lbs.; Hanover Park, Ill. / Hanover Park) – Top 5
Bryan Williams, QB, *** (6’4”, 210 lbs.; Charlottesville, Va. / Charlottesville) – Top 5
Malcom Crenshaw, DE, *** (6’5”, 255 lbs.; Rolla, Mo. / Rolla) – Top 5
Joey Muhammad, C, *** (6’0”, 290 lbs.; Winnipeg, Manitoba / Grant Park) – Top 5

[Deuce2223]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

So the question is are you still having fun.. Seem's like the transition to D-1 has been tough. I really thought you might have a chance to win some more of these Mac games. At this point McMillan and Williams look like must haves, cause Keyes just can't get the job done. Is there any talent in your current #2?

[Tearz49ers]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

Ouch! This transition to D-I football has been cruel on this Mellon Tartans team. I think Duece summed it up, Keyes is not the answer at QB for this team after this season, but if you don't sign a suitable replacement you might be left with no choice.

[Careless Whisper]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

So the question is are you still having fun.. Seem's like the transition to D-1 has been tough. I really thought you might have a chance to win some more of these Mac games. At this point McMillan and Williams look like must haves, cause Keyes just can't get the job done. Is there any talent in your current #2?

It can be frustrating losing the way that I do, but I do enjoy that we're not immediately having success with the move up to FBS ball. I didn't expect a bowl bid until year five of this timeline so we've followed that so far. As for the quarterbacks on the roster, Keyes is really the only option right now - Alex Smith is a class above him after starting a few games in the first FCS year, and he's rated in the high 50s, low 60s. The other guy is a 40 and will never touch the field.

Ouch! This transition to D-I football has been cruel on this Mellon Tartans team. I think Duece summed it up, Keyes is not the answer at QB for this team after this season, but if you don't sign a suitable replacement you might be left with no choice.

Yeah I definitely hope to land one or two quarterbacks in recruiting to compete with Keyes, because he hasn't been the answer so far. It's a little unfair that I expected him to be the answer, to be honest, since he was just a two-star dual-threat when I signed him. I will say he does have the ability to be a gamechanger at times, because he's very mobile and has a big arm, and in the Bowling Green game I was able to really control some clock with his legs. But a 1:11 TD:INT ratio is hard to ignore and can be easily improved upon.

[Hellisan]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

I'm catching up, still not there, but getting closer. Really enjoyed the 2007 season with Manning breaking out and giving you something reliable to help you to the five wins. Up until that point, it was just sort of scattershot on who might deliver or (more likely) not.

Before that, what a performance by Oklahoma and Peterson there shutting out Michigan. It's cool seeing all those old names, thinking about all the unique qualities that made some of them great college players and pros, or some just great college players. I agree with the statement made by Deuce on that.

It would have been fun to see Patrick Willis with the Giants. That's the combo that would have been a nice fit. He had a fine career in SF of course, but yea.

[Careless Whisper]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

I'm catching up, still not there, but getting closer. Really enjoyed the 2007 season with Manning breaking out and giving you something reliable to help you to the five wins. Up until that point, it was just sort of scattershot on who might deliver or (more likely) not.

Before that, what a performance by Oklahoma and Peterson there shutting out Michigan. It's cool seeing all those old names, thinking about all the unique qualities that made some of them great college players and pros, or some just great college players. I agree with the statement made by Deuce on that.

It would have been fun to see Patrick Willis with the Giants. That's the combo that would have been a nice fit. He had a fine career in SF of course, but yea.

Glad that you're making your way through! It's actually hard to believe that I'm already 2 1/2 seasons through because it certainly doesn't seem like it. Manning's emergence definitely made that second season a lot of fun even with the 5-7 record, and it was good to see the other freshmen contribute in a variety of ways. I think a couple years down the line here, they'll be a pretty good base to (hopefully) some winning seasons.

That title game definitely shocked me because Michigan's offense was ridiculous, but Oklahoma must have had all the answers for them. I think I remember one of their linebackers being in the Heisman race briefly, and of course - like his actual career - Peterson was hurt for a good chunk of the season and still put up great numbers. I think I enjoy how differently these careers play out as much as I enjoy building on CMU.

Thanks again for checking in!

[moose141]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

Tough loss again, but the jerseys looked at least! Even in the limited creator options of the older games, you put together a couple of nice combos. Sounding like a broken record here week in and week out, but you're right there competition wise, just mistakes with the football seem to do you in every week!

[Careless Whisper]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

Tough loss again, but the jerseys looked at least! Even in the limited creator options of the older games, you put together a couple of nice combos. Sounding like a broken record here week in and week out, but you're right there competition wise, just mistakes with the football seem to do you in every week!

Appreciate the jersey love! I like having red as the alternates and will probably use those for all my midweek games and maybe a home game here and there. As I mentioned before, the uni combos and just overall look of CMU made it hard to try something new when I deleted the NCAA 07 file.

Despite the stats in this game, Keyes wasn't too bad in all honesty. The three interceptions were all on the user, I was pressing too hard because he had struggled all season and I thought this was a winnable game. I do think we've gotten through the toughest stretch of the MAC schedule, so hopefully some wins are on the horizon!

[Careless Whisper]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

at
Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (2-3, 0-1 MAC) at Carnegie Mellon Tartans (1-5, 1-2 MAC)
Saturday, October 18, 2008 | 12:30 PM (ET)
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Gesling Stadium | No television

Team Overview (C+ overall, C+ offense, C defense)
Miami (Ohio) has opened the season with a 2-3 record, with only one of those games being in conference. The Redhawks dropped their opener to Ole Miss, 35-23, after being tied at 20-20 entering the fourth quarter. After rattling off back-to-back wins against Minnesota (35-21) and Memphis (38-19), Miami was handled by Ball State, 38-16, and fell to Cincinnati, 20-13, before an off week.

Redshirt junior quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh (93.6 QB rtg., 77-160, 788 yards, 6 TD [1 rush], 5 INT) has been very pedestrian in his first year as the starter, but has solid targets to throw to in redshirt senior Sean McVay (21 catches, 305 yards, 5 TD), fourth-year junior Dustin Woods (23 catches, 181 yards, 2 td), and redshirt sophomore Armand Robinson (24 catches, 173 yards, 2 TD). Woods and Robinson combined for 112 catches, 1,446 yards, and 15 touchdowns last season, but haven’t quite broken out with Raudabaugh under center. Redshirt junior tailback Andre Bratton (70 carries, 414 yards, 3 TD) is also in his first year as a starter, and is one of the quicker backs in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Miami’s defense is a work in progress. On the defensive line, redshirt junior Travis Craven (15 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF) is a pure speed-rusher who is still looking for a breakout performance, and third-year tackle Martin Channels (16 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FF) has been disruptive in the middle. Fifth-year senior Clayton Mullins (39 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF) has been very productive as the unit’s captain, and redshirt junior cornerback Wendell Brunson (16 tackles, 1 INT) has held his own against the opponents’ best receiver this year. The Redhawks received a boost over the break with the return of junior safety Jordan Gafford, who tallied 32 tackles and four interceptions in 2007.

Junior kicker Trevor Cook (9-16 FG, 14-14 XP) was an All-MAC First Team pick last year after making 76 percent (16-21) of his field goals and all 49 extra point attempts. Fifth-year senior Jacob Richardson (23 punts, 1,017 yards, 35.9 net avg.) is back for his third season as the primary punter. Woods (18 kick returns, 391 yards; 17 punt returns, 187 yards) is the key returner threat for Miami, especially on punt returns with a 11.0 yards per return average.

Season Results
09/06 | at Ole Miss | L, 23-35
09/13 | at Minnesota | W, 35-21
09/20 | MEMPHIS | W, 38-19
09/27 | at Ball State * | L, 16-38
10/04 | at Cincinnati | L, 13-20

PFF Top Five
Dave DiFranco, R-Sr., G (92)
Travis Craven, R-Jr., DE (87)
Sean McVay, R-Sr., WR (84)
Tom Crabtree, R-Sr., TE (84)
Andre Bratton, R-Jr., HB (84)

Injury Report
Miami (Ohio): Peris Edwards, R-So., FS (Dislocated elbow – 7 weeks)
Carnegie Mellon: None

Suspensions
Miami (Ohio): None
Carnegie Mellon: Jon Young, Sr., OT (team rules – 1 game); Scott Sanders, R-So., WR (team rules – 3 games)

[Deuce2223]

Re: The Rise of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans (NCAA Football 07)

Feed the rock to Manning, and limit Keyes to like 10 pass's and maybe you pull out the "W". I realize Smith isn't great but you never know at this point maybe the team rally's around him. I don't know but I really hope you can pull out another a Win here.

[Careless Whisper]

Season 3, Game 7: Miami (Ohio) at Carnegie Mellon

Mistakes Pile Up in 27-3 Defeat to Miami of Ohio
Carnegie Mellon turned the ball over four times and failed to convert on three fourth-down chances


Carnegie Mellon tailback Jim Manning had no room to run against Miami's aggressive defense. (Michael Welch / Getty Images)

by Jayson Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Despite picking off Miami (Ohio) four times on defense, Carnegie Mellon had zero answers offensively as it fell to the Redhawks, 27-3, this afternoon in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play from Gesling Stadium.

Carnegie Mellon (1-6, 1-3 MAC) cancelled out its four interceptions of Miami (Ohio) (3-3, 1-1 MAC) quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh with four turnovers of its own, three coming via interception. The Tartans offense failed to reach 100 yards through the air and on the ground, and didn't convert on three fourth-down opportunities.

“It seemed like everything that could have gone wrong for us today did,” said third-year head coach John Elliott. “We had the long drive in the second (quarter) and convert a big third down, but fumble it away. Then we can’t convert a fourth-and-inches at the end of the half and (Miami) takes advantage immediately with a long touchdown pass. When you’re struggling to get a win and starting to get desperate, these types of things happen. It makes it even more frustrating because it feels like you’re trying to push a boulder up Mount Everest.”

Neither team had put together a long drive through most of the first quarter until the end, when the Redhawks capped an eight-play drive with a 25-yard field goal by Trevor Cook. CMU answered with a long stretch of its own and Justin Keyes found Kevin Cousins on a big third-and-12 conversion, but the Penn State transfer fumbled the ball away when tucking it to vanquish a scoring opportunity.

Mark Toth kept the score at 3-0 with an interception in the Miami red zone, and minutes later snagged his second to prevent another scoring drive from the visitors. The Tartans again strung together an extended drive but faced fourth and inches from the Redhawks’ 22 with 1:08 remaining in the half, which Jim Manning was stopped for a loss by a blitzing Caleb Bostic. A play later, Raudabaugh found a wide-open Armand Robinson for a 70-yard strike to make it 10-0 at halftime.

CMU’s fortunes didn’t improve in the second half. Miami added another touchdown after a Keyes interception in the Tartans’ opening drive, then Pete Carlson dropped a third-down pass that forced the hosts to settle for a Jon Foster 32-yard field goal. After a Hayden Temple interception, CMU took a pair of sacks and had to punt it away, which led to Sean McVay’s second touchdown catch of the game – one that ultimately sealed the game.

Manning finished with 93 yards rushing on 24 carries. Keyes continued his nightmare sophomore season throwing the ball, only completing 6-of-20 passes for 78 yards and three interceptions.

Cousins left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return.

Carnegie Mellon is back on the road next Saturday, October 25 when it travels to Akron.

Miami (OH) RedHawks at Carnegie Mellon Tartans
Oct 18, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Miami (OH) RedHawks (3-3, 1-1 MAC)	3	7	7	10	27
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (1-6, 1-3 MAC)	0	0	3	0	3

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		M-OH	CMU
1:39	(M-OH) Trevor Cook 25-yard field goal	3	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		M-OH	CMU
0:54	(M-OH) Daniel Raudabaugh 70-yard pass to Armand Robinson (Trevor Cook kick)	10	0
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		M-OH	CMU
8:44	(M-OH) Daniel Raudabaugh 5-yard pass to Sean McVay (Trevor Cook kick)	17	0
0:54	(CMU) Jon Foster 32-yard field goal	17	3
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		M-OH	CMU
7:23	(M-OH) Daniel Raudabaugh 37-yard pass to Sean McVay (Trevor Cook kick)	24	3
1:19	(M-OH) Trevor Cook 32-yard field goal	27	3

Miami (OH) RedHawks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Daniel Raudabaugh 20/30 299 3 4 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Andre Bratton 7 41 5.8 0 Nick DeBartolo 1 5 5.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Dustin Woods 5 102 20.3 0 Sean McVay 5 69 13.8 2 Armand Robinson 3 97 32.3 1 Donovan Potter 3 15 5.0 0 Jake O'Connell 2 19 9.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Caleb Bostic 9 1 0 0 Robbie Wilson 8 0 1 0 Chris Shula 7 0 0 0 Wendell Brunson 7 0 0 0 Clayton Mullins 4 2 1 0 Jason Gibson 1 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Trevor Cook 2/2 3/3 9 32 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Jacob Richardson 2 90 45.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Sean McVay 1 24 24.0 0 Dustin Woods 1 20 20.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Dustin Woods 3 11 3.6 0

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Keyes 6/20 78 0 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jim Manning 24 93 3.8 0 Nate Satele 3 1 0.3 0 Justin Keyes 14 -1 0.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Kevin Cousins 3 35 11.6 0 Jim Manning 1 18 18.0 0 Pete Carlson 1 13 13.0 0 Stephen Carter 1 12 12.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt Johnson 5 0 0 0 Erik Sellers 5 0 0 0 Hayden Temple 4 0 1 0 Mark Toth 3 0 2 0 Raymond Cooper 2 1 0 0 Andrew Miller 1 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jon Foster 1/1 0/0 3 32 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Brad Jones 5 174 34.7 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jim Manning 4 79 19.7 0 Pete Carlson 2 41 20.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jim Manning 2 6 3.0 0