2003 Miami RedHawks football team

2003 Miami RedHawks football
MAC champion MAC East Division champion GMAC Bowl champion
MAC Championship Game, W 49–27 vs. Bowling Green
GMAC Bowl, W 49–28 vs. Louisville
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	East Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 12
AP	No. 10
Record	13–1 (8–0 MAC)
Head coach	Terry Hoeppner (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Jon Wauford (4th season)
Home stadium	Yager Stadium (capacity: 30,012)

2003 Mid-American Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 10 Miami x$		8	–	0					13	–	1
Marshall		6	–	2					8	–	4
Akron		5	–	3					7	–	5
Kent State		4	–	4					5	–	7
UCF		2	–	6					3	–	9
Ohio		1	–	7					2	–	10
Buffalo		1	–	7					1	–	11
West Division
No. 23 Bowling Green x		7	–	1					11	–	3
Northern Illinois		6	–	2					10	–	2
Toledo		6	–	2					8	–	4
Western Michigan		4	–	4					5	–	7
Ball State		3	–	5					4	–	8
Eastern Michigan		2	–	6					3	–	9
Central Michigan		1	–	7					3	–	9
Championship: Miami 49, Bowling Green 27
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2003 Miami RedHawks football team represented Miami University in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. They competed in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) . The team was coached by Terry Hoeppner and played their homes game in Yager Stadium. The Redhawks finished the season with a record of 13–1 (8–0 MAC). They won the MAC for the first time since 1986 and was invited to the GMAC Bowl, where they beat Louisville 49-28.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	12:00 pm	at Iowa*		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, Iowa	ESPN2	L 3–21	54,128
September 13	12:00 pm	at Northwestern*		Ryan Field Evanston, Illinois	ESPN+	W 44–14	24,215
September 20	3:00 pm	at Colorado State*		Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, Colorado		W 41–21	31,610
September 27	2:00 pm	Cincinnati*		Yager Stadium Oxford, Ohio (Battle for the Bell)		W 42–37	27,512
October 4	2:00 pm	Akron		Yager Stadium Oxford, Ohio		W 45–20	20,157
October 11	2:00 pm	Buffalo		Yager Stadium Oxford, Ohio		W 59–3	23,683
October 18	3:00 pm	at Ball State		Ball State Stadium Muncie, Indiana	ESPN+	W 49–3	18,396
October 25	2:00 pm	at Kent State		Dix Stadium Kent, Ohio	ESPN+	W 38–30	10,693
November 4	7:30 pm	No. 20 Bowling Green		Yager Stadium Oxford, Ohio	ESPN2	W 33–10	28,023
November 12	7:30 pm	Marshall	No. 24	Yager Stadium Oxford, Ohio	ESPN2	W 45–6	26,286
November 22	2:30 pm	at Ohio	No. 19	Peden Stadium Athens, Ohio (Battle of the Bricks)	FSN	W 49–31	14,327
November 28	1:00 pm	at UCF	No. 16	Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida		W 56–21	12,902
December 4	7:00 pm	at No. 23 Bowling Green	No. 15	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, Ohio (MAC Championship Game)	ESPN	W 49–27	24,813
December 18	8:30 pm	vs. Louisville*	No. 15	Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama (GMAC Bowl)	ESPN	W 49–28	40,620
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

After the season

Comments

Two Miami players were drafted into the National Football League: quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, left as a junior without a degree with a year of college eligibility remaining and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, #11 overall, and guard Jacob Bell, taken by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round, #138 overall. Roethlisberger's #11 selection was the highest ever draft pick for a player from Miami.

Awards

The Columbus Dispatch named Hoeppner "Ohio College Coach of the Year." The 2003 team as a whole earned the American Football Coaches Association's "Academic Achievement Honor" for achieving a graduation rate over 70%.