Aug. 28, 2008
Season Tickets Start at $99 | Visit Commodore Gameday Central
Learn more about Vanderbilt’s season-opening opponent: the Miami RedHawks of the Mid-American Conference. Thursday’s matchup is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT at Yager Stadium and will be televised by ESPNU.
 Head Coach Shane MontgomeryA graduate from North Carolina State in 1990, Montgomery is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Redhawks and has a record of 15-21. Montgomery’s RedHawks are coming off a season where they saw a share of the MAC East Division title and advanced to the MAC Championship game. In 2005, Montgomery guided his first team to a share of the East Division Crown. Montgomery, the offensive coordinator at the time, was hired as the school’s 32nd head coach prior to the playing of the 2004 Independence Bowl against Iowa State. |
 QB #12 Daniel Raudabaugh (6’4″ 217 lbs. R-Jr.)Passed for 2,431 yards last year, the eighth-best single-season yardage total in Miami history. Raudabaugh 209 pass completions and 382 attempts (54.7 completion %) rank in the school’s top-ten list. Last near against Vanderbilt, Raudabaugh completed 18-of-37 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown pass. Started eight games last year under center, including the last seven. His top passing performance came in a 17-24 loss at Temple where he threw for 314 yards. He needs just 279 passing yards to become the 11th QB in Miami history to reach 3,000 yards. |
 LB #9 Clayton Mullins (6’2″ 241 lbs. Sr.)Mullins is the reigning MAC Defensive Player of Year and Miami’s 2007 Team MVP. He led the RedHawks and the MAC Conference with 143 tackles. He also topped Miami with 13.5 tackles for loss. He was named to the Bronko Nagurski Award (top defensive player) list and the Butkus Award watch list (linebackers). |
Forces at Linebackers
Seniors Clayton Mullins, Joey Hudson, and junior Caleb Bostic are all included on the Butkus Award Watch List. It is the first time in the 24-year history of the Butkus Award that one school has had all three of its linebackers named. Hudson is coming off a strong 2007 campaign where he earned Second-Team All-MAC honors for the second consecutive season.
Quick Hits on Miami
Miami returns 17 of its 22 starters from a season ago.
Miami was picked by the media to finish second in the MAC East Division in 2008
The RedHawks have been solid in season openers, posting a 79-34-6 record (.689)
Thursday’s game marks only the fourth meeting in the all-time series between Miami and Vanderbilt, with the Commodores leading the series 2-1.
The first series meeting between these two teams came on Oct. 13, 1899, with Vanderbilt clinching a 12-0 win.
63 of Miami’s 105 players hail from the state of Ohio
Seniors Robbie Wilson (defensive back), Dave DiFranco (offensive guard) and Joey Hudson (linebacker) were selected as Miami’s 2008 captains.
The RedHawks have 46 returning letterman
16 of Miami’s projected starters are either juniors or seniors
Miami’s starting offensive line tips the scale at an average of 308 pounds per man.
Clayton Mullins 143 stops last season tied for 10th among all collegiate defenders.
Senior linebacker Chris Shula is the grandson of former Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula.
Miami ranks 13th best in winning percentage among schools that have played 100 or more seasons and is tied for 20th nationally in terms of all-time victories with 647.