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CORRECTION: Miami University Lineman May Not, in Fact, Be Worst Person Ever

Posted: Jun 7th 2008 7:51 PM ET by Adam Jacobi (RSS feed)
Filed Under: MAC, NCAA FB Police Blotter, Miami (OH) Football

Yes, I've left my journalistic integrity right over here in this... oh dear.

Last week, we--okay, I alone--committed a rather serious error in writing the story of Zachary Marshall's arrest. I treated a police report (a rather jarring one, at that) as fact, and as some commenters reminded me, such is not always the case. Sure, it's usually pretty safe to see accusations of moral turpitude like "entering a sleeping woman's dorm room and putting a pillow over her face" and think, "okay, there's no way that can be a misunderstanding."

As we'll soon find out, however, there's a chasmic difference between "usually pretty safe" and "right," and I lost sight of that. In doing so, I needlessly took shots at Zachary Marshall, a young man whose guilt is by no means assured. My sincerest apologies.

There's an impetus behind the mea culpa, and it's not just that I'm a swell guy; the incident is now being portrayed by Marshall's lawyer as--surprise!!--a misunderstanding:

Miami University Lineman Is New Creepiest, Lowest Guy Ever

Posted: Jun 3rd 2008 10:55 PM ET by Adam Jacobi (RSS feed)
Filed Under: MAC, NCAA FB Scandal, Miami (OH) Football

16 COMMENTS

Strange, weird, disturbing news from Oxford, Ohio this weekend, as lineman Zachary Marshall is arrested for "aggravated burglary, burglary, and assault." Sure, those are strongly negative crimes to commit in and of themselves, but the details are of the sort of stuff you'd rather your kids didn't read. Observe:

Police at Miami of Ohio say [Marshall] has been accused of going into two unlocked dormitory rooms this month and holding a pillow over the face of a female student sleeping in one of the rooms.

Dude.

The level of perversion that must occur within a human brain before such a course of action even becomes considerable, much less actionable, is profound. For the sake of Mr. Marshall, we hope he seeks help. Rather quickly, at that.

One last detail that ought to delight fans of cosmic karma: the immediate aftermath of the incident. Cincinnati Enquirer, hit it:

The female victim "was really instrumental in putting this together," McCandless said.

Even though she is much smaller in stature than her alleged attacker, "she punched him and more or less chased him down the hallway," the chief said. "That should speak volumes for her tenacity."

And volumes more about Marshall.

[UPDATE: As the commenters have informed us, the landscape of this story has changed quite substantially. Read more here.]

Syracuse Returns to Reality

Posted: Sep 29th 2007 6:48 PM ET by Charles Rich (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Syracuse Football, Big East, MAC, Miami (OH) Football

0 COMMENTS

With a noticeable ring of the Miami bell in Oxford, Ohio, and a definitive thud for Syracuse.

Miami (OH) went up on Syracuse 14-0. The Redhawks held on for a slim 17-14 win despite outgaining the Orange 446-315 and a nearly 14 minute advantage in time of possession. Primarily because the Redhawks turned the ball over 3 times on interceptions to keep giving Syracuse opportunities.

Syracuse was unable to do anything with it because the lack of an offensive line and running game once again made the difference -- only 65 total rushing yards. While Syracuse QB Andrew Robinson performed well, once more, the one-dimensional aspect and inability to sustain drives (3-13 on 3d downs) only made the 'Cuse cosmetically close.

Dramatic Finishes in Big Ten; Northwestern Wins, Minnesota Survives 3OT Thriller

Posted: Sep 8th 2007 6:00 PM ET by Bruce Ciskie (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Minnesota Football, Northwestern Football, Big 10, MAC, WAC, Miami (OH) Football, Nevada Football

0 COMMENTS

Two Big Ten teams had to sweat out super football games Saturday afternoon. While neither Northwestern nor Minnesota are expected to contend for the Big Ten crown, their ability to pull out wins does help a beleagured conference save some face.

(In fact, the Big Ten is 5-0 so far today. Choke on that, Michigan. On second thought, don't choke on that. Win, for crying out loud.)

Both games were dramatic, and both featured super comebacks. In Northwestern's case, it was Northwestern's comeback. In Minnesota's, it was opponent Miami (Ohio) who pulled off the great comeback.

Minnesota led all day against Miami. They scored on their opening drive, opened a 14-3 lead in the second quarter, and then responded to nine straight Miami points with two touchdowns in a row to take a 28-12 lead in the fourth quarter. Game over, right?

Nope.

Miami rallied behind backup quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh, scoring 16 straight points to force overtime, then scoring first in overtime. The RedHawks wouldn't score again, as they missed a potential game-winning field goal in the second overtime, and Raudabaugh was intercepted in the end zone in the third overtime.

After a missed field goal of their own in the second OT, Amir Pinnix scored in the third extra session to give the Gophers a 41-35 win. It's the first win of the season for the Gophers, and the first win of Tim Brewster's head coaching career.