Peters, Northwestern's defense clamp down

Northwestern's Brian Peters made the most of increased playing time Saturday when starting safety Brendan Smith was forced from the game with a hand injury.

Peters had an impressive third quarter, first intercepting a pass and later returning a fumble to set up a touchdown as Northwestern relied on its defense to keep Miami (Ohio) winless by beating the RedHawks 16-6 at Ryan Field.

"Any one you get is a blessing," Peters said after Northwestern came up with 4 turnovers to go with 7 sacks of Miami quarterback Zac Dysert. "When the rush can get to him and we cover well, it's a deadly thing."

Northwestern (4-2) got 2 touchdown runs from quarterback Mike Kafka, but for the most part the Wildcats were sluggish on offense. Kafka was the leading rusher with 53 net yards on 15 carries.

"We have to run the football better," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "Right now, that's not happening."

After Peters returned Dysert's fumble 27 yards to the Miami 27, Kafka hit fullback Jacob Schmidt with a 25-yard pass to the 2. Kafka sneaked in for the score three plays later, putting the Wildcats ahead 16-0.

Miami (0-6) got in the end zone with 1:19 left when Dysert completed a 23-yard TD pass to Andy Cruse to cap a 62-yard drive. The 2-point conversion pass failed.

"A shutout would have been awesome," Peters said. "We'll take the win."

Dysert, who was sacked 10 times last week by Cincinnati, played tough, but mistakes hurt the RedHawks, who are still looking for a win under first-year coach Michael Haywood.

Dysert carried 22 times for 63 yards while completing 17 of 36 passes for 176 yards. He often ended up hanging on to the football when he couldn't find someone open.

"It's a combination of a number of things. We called a quick passing game and the receiver doesn't get off the line," Haywood said.

"That's not the offensive line and that's not on the quarterback. But he ends up getting the sack."

Kafka completed 3 passes to Zeke Markshausen, one for 25 yards, during a 72-yard scoring drive at the end of the first quarter. After a personal foul penalty on the RedHawks, Kafka carried the final 6 yards for the TD with five seconds left in the opening quarter, making it 10-0.

Miami drove to the Northwestern 28 late in the first quarter, but safety Brad Phillips blitzed and sacked Dysert for a 7-yard loss. The RedHawks went for it on fourth-and-17, but Phillips hit Dysert again as he was passing. The ball was tipped by Kevin Watt and intercepted by Nate Williams to end the drive.

Miami reached the Northwestern 16 in the closing seconds of the half when Dysert hit Brayden Coombs with a 23-yard pass. But with 11 seconds to go, Dysert couldn't find a receiver, had to scramble, didn't get out of bounds and was hit down by Phillips and Williams on the 11 as time expired.

"I was trying to make a play, but I just lost track of what I was doing. Should have thrown it in the end zone to see if something could happen. Just a mistake on my part," Dysert said. "I knew what I needed to do. I just didn't do it."

Northwestern's Stefan Demos hit his ninth straight field goal without a miss this season, a 46-yarder, for an early 3-0 lead. His streak ended in the second quarter when Miami's Austin Brown blocked his 40-yard attempt.

Demos did make a tackle. After a high snap on his attempted point after following Northwestern's second TD, he picked up the ball and threw into the end zone where Miami defensive lineman Anthony Shoemaker intercepted. But after a short return, Demos jumped on the 264-pound Shoemaker and brought him down.

Miami's starting tailback Andre Bratton injured his ankle in the first half. And Northwestern got its seven sacks, even though star defensive end Corey Wootton played very little because of a sore ankle.