Bob Babich, College Football Hall of Famer, Dies At Age 74
Apr 20, 2022
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 07: A Wilson football displays a NCAA logo as it sits on the field before the start of the Big Ten Conference Championship football game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Ohio State Buckeyes on December 7, 2019, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Former NFL linebacker and College Football Hall of Famer Bob Babich died April 3 at the age of 74.
The National Football Foundation announced Wednesday that he died in his home in Clairemont, California.
"An exceptional hard-hitting linebacker, Bob Babich made his mark in Oxford as one of the best in the country," NFF Chairman Archie Manning said. "He was a great guy to be around with a great sense of humor and full of great stories. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."
While Babich was a first-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 1969 NFL draft and played nine seasons for the Chargers and Cleveland Browns, he was best-known for his play at Miami University under Hall of Fame coach Bo Schembechler.
Babich was the 1968 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time First Team All-MAC selection and a team captain.
The American Football Coaches Association, the Sporting News, Playboy and Time Magazine all named him a First Team All-American in 1968.
Kyle Brown of the Cincinnati Enquirer noted Babich remains the only player from Miami University to be selected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Brett Gabbert, Miami (OH) Top North Texas to Win 2021 Frisco Football Classic
Dec 23, 2021
FRISCO, TX - DECEMBER 23: Miami (Oh) Redhawks quarterback Brett Gabbert (5) passes during the Frisco Football Classic Bowl between North Texas and Miami (OH) on December 23, 2021 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX. (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Miami RedHawks finished the 2021 season with a 27-14 win over the North Texas Mean Green in the Frisco Football Classic on Thursday at Toyota Stadium to finish with a 7-6 record. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
It was a fitting end to the season for the RedHawks, who won four of their final six regular-season games to become bowl eligible. It was also a nice bounce-back win for Miami as it fell short of winning the MAC East Division title with a 48-47 loss to Kent State on Nov. 27.
Before Thursday, Miami hadn't won a bowl game since the end of the 2010 season. It's also the team's third winning season since recording 11 winning campaigns in a row from 1995-2005.
Notable Stats
Brett Gabbert, QB, MU: 22/31 for 228 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT
Austin Aune, QB, UNT: 15/32 for 228 YDS, 0 TD, 2 INT and 9 CAR for 28 YDS, 1 TD
Jack Sorenson, WR, MU: 7 REC for 116 YDS
Kenny Tracy, RB, MU: 14 CAR for 92 YDS, 1 TD
Damon Ward Jr., WR, UNT: 6 REC for 70 YDS
Brett Gabbert, Miami Offense Dominate
It comes as little surprise Gabbert, the brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, had an impressive evening against the Mean Green.
The sophomore completed 22-of-31 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns against zero interceptions. It was his sixth straight game with at least 200 passing yards and two passing touchdowns.
It has been quite the turnaround for Gabbert, who has upped his game over the last several weeks. Though it's worth noting the RedHawks had the best passing offense in the MAC during the regular season, having averaged 282.6 yards in the air over 12 games.
Gabbert entered Thursday's game with a 167.6 passing efficiency rating over his last five games, per Sports Reference. He also threw for 1,682 yards and 17 touchdowns against four interceptions in that span, so it should come as no surprise that he showed out against North Texas.
He made big plays when necessary, including an 11-yard strike to open up the second half to put Miami up 27-14, and didn't turn the ball over once.
It should also be mentioned that Miami entered Thursday's game with a subpar third-down conversion percentage at 38 percent, which ranked 79th in the FBS. Gabbert and Co. converted 50 percent (8-of-16) of their third downs against North Texas, which is a big reason why they won.
However, Gabbert isn't the only reason for Miami's turnaround success.
Senior wide receiver Jack Sorenson finished Thursday's game with seven catches for 116 yards. He entered with 961 yards and six touchdowns in his last seven games, a significant turnaround from the 329 yards and four scores he recorded in the team's first five games of the season.
Freshman running back Kenny Tracy was also impressive, finishing Thursday's game with 14 carries for 92 yards and one touchdown. It was his best game of the season, as his previous high was 50 rushing yards.
Mean Green's Rushing Offense Suffers Without DeAndre Torrey
North Texas' offense had been very one-dimensional during a five-game winning streak to close out the regular season. The Mean Green averaged 283 rushing yards per game in that span, largely because of DeAndre Torrey.
Torrey, who recorded 1,214 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 12 games, missed Thursday's game against Miami for unspecified reasons. However, North Texas was expected to perform well on the ground against Miami as Ikaika Ragsdale and Ayo Adeyi entered having rushed for 511 and 479 yards, respectively.
But Torrey's absence was glaring, as the North Texas offense finished with just 89 rushing yards and two rushing scores among Austin Aune, Ragsdale, Isaiah Johnson and Adeyi.
Further highlighting the team's issues on the ground, the Mean Green entered Thursday's game averaging 246.2 rushing yards per game (fourth in FBS). They didn't even come close to that mark against Miami.
In addition, the Mean Green's passing offense underperformed. Quarterback Austin Aune completed 15-of-32 passes for 228 yards and no touchdowns against two interceptions. One of those turnovers was costly, as the RedHawks charged down the field for a touchdown to go up 20-14.
The Mean Green's offensive struggles highlight how well the RedHawks defense played. Miami's rush defense entered having ranked third in the MAC, allowing just 150.7 yards per game on the ground. With that said, it explains why North Texas' rushing offense struggled.
3 Miami University Football Players Charged After Brawl at Fraternity House
Oct 27, 2020
Detail view of an NFL football held in the snapping position by Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo (70) as he warms up before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brett Carlsen)
Three Miami University football players have been charged with assault, criminal trespassing and/or disorderly conduct following an Oct. 3 brawl at Theta Chi fraternity in Oxford, Ohio.
Zach McAuliffe of WCPO-TV outlined the charges from the police report.
"According to the police report, student athletes James Bomba, 19, Terrell Rush, 18, and Dimitri Mitsopolous, 19, all face charges from the incident. Bomba was arrested and charged with assault and criminal trespassing, Rush, is charged with criminal trespassing and Mitsopoulous faces two counts of assault, two counts of trespassing and one count disorderly conduct."
Rush, a safety from St. Louis, has since released a statement to WLWT that he has been "cleared from any charges regarding the fight."
"I have been cleared from any charges regarding the fight, and it has been proven I was not involved. The detectives know, and I was not involved in any fight. I wasn't there. I walked up after the fact. I don't even know who was involved, but I know I wasn't. I have been wrongfully accused of the fight, and I have since then been cleared by Ohio detectives of fighting."
The three players, all of whom are freshmen, have been suspended from the RedHawks program indefinitely.
In addition, a fourth person, 18-year-old Santiago Sandri, has a criminal trespassing warrant out for his arrest, per McAuliffe. Sandri is not affiliated with Miami University.
TMZ Sportsreleased video of the brawl, and numerous fraternity brothers and witnesses provided first-hand accounts to WLWT.
"They just started, like, throwing punches," one witness told the station regarding the alleged attackers.
The people in question were "uninvited guests" who "stormed the property" as members were sitting around a fire pit, per WLWT. One member said the fight was a "full-on ambush" and premeditated.
"They had three guys to one, just like chasing people down," the witness said. "Three people on one, beating them up and kicking them on the ground. It definitely felt like an attack because they had control of all of the area around the building."
A fraternity member spoke with WLWT as well.
"A mass of guys, and some had masks on, hoods up, gloves on, and it was just like a chaotic scene, and we went out there and we all started getting hit from like all sides."
Fraternity members told WLWT that five members were sent to the hospital, including one person who was struck in the eye with a golf club.
"He had taken a golf club to the eye, and he has a fractured orbital from it, but he's expected to recover and no surgery is needed," one member said of that reported injury.
Miami University released a statement that it is investigating the incident and that students can face university disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
Former 5-Star LB Jaelan Phillips Transfers to Miami from UCLA
Feb 21, 2019
MEMPHIS, TN - SEPTEMBER 16: Jaelan Phillips #15 of the UCLA Bruins celebrates a play against the Memphis Tigers on September 16, 2017 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis defeated UCLA 48-45. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images)
Former UCLA linebacker Jaelan Phillips has decided to transfer to the University of Miami.
The player announced his decision Thursday on Twitter:
The Wait is Over...Officially a HURRICANE 🙌🏽⛓🌴 I can’t wait to get to work, #TNM is going to be a problem for the opposition 🤞🏽💯 Thank you God for giving me a second chance 🙏🏾 the COMEBACK is going to be something serious pic.twitter.com/yWhfKJnUlL
Phillips was a huge prospect out of high school, considered the No. 1 overall player in the 2017 class by 247Sports' composite rankings. However, he only appeared in 10 games in his first two years at UCLA before deciding to transfer out of the program.
He totaled 4.5 sacks and 41 tackles in his time with the Bruins.
Phillips left the program in December of his sophomore season due to injury problems after a concussion and other issues limited him to just four games played, perTracy Piersonof 247Sports.
If he can stay healthy, the California native can be an impact player for the Hurricanes. At 6'5", 245 pounds, he has excellent size at the position with enough athleticism to be an elite pass-rusher at the college and possibly NFL level.
Meanwhile, this continues an impressive stretch of transfers joining Miami this offseason.
The program has added tons of talent since Manny Diaz took over for Mark Richt as head coach, including Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell, Auburn running back Asa Martin and USC safety Bubba Bolden.
Like Phillips, all of these players were highly touted out of high school but haven't lived up to expectations in college.
He will also rejoin ChigozieNnoruka, who transferred from UCLA to Miami as well.
Miami will hope these additions will be enough to bring the program back to prominence.
