Miami Edison secures ‘historic’ victory over Miami Northwestern to remain unbeaten
Miami Edison head coach Luther Campbell described the win as “historic.”
Running back Sterling Joseph said it was “personal.”
That’s because Miami Northwestern, only a few blocks from Edison, has dominated the Red Raiders in the past. But not on Saturday night, when Edison’s defense led a 17-7 upset victory over the Bulls at Traz Powell Stadium.
Edison’s win was a continuation of a game that was suspended on Thursday due to inclement weather. It resumed with 3:26 left in the first quarter on Saturday after lightning once again pushed the start time back two hours.
“You got to go through Northwestern. That’s the most historic school in the state of Florida,” Campbell said. “When you beat them, with that rich tradition, you beat one of the best in town.”
The Red Raider defense allowed one touchdown all game and registered one interception and six sacks on Saturday. Joseph led a potent ground game, rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown one week after a 207-yard rushing performance.
“I got the best o-line in the nation,” Joseph said. “ … That’s our game plan. We’re going to pound, pound, pound, and that’s what we did.”
Edison (3-0) rarely passed, but a 41-yard throw from quarterback Kelvin Murray to wide receiver Brandon Lowe helped set up its first touchdown drive. Joseph put the Red Raiders on the board with a 13-yard rush a few plays later.
Edison tacked on a field goal after Jaylen Morris’ interception gave the Red Raiders great field position. They held a 10-0 lead at halftime.
The Bulls had plenty of opportunities to win the game. Momentum swung in the third quarter when Northwestern pressured Edison’s punter and tackled him at the Red Raiders 16-yard line to turn the ball over on downs.
Bulls quarterback Leon Strawder, who only had one completion for nine yards in the second half, then scored with 4:04 left in the third off a 1-yard rush. Just like that, Northwestern only trailed 10-7.
But the Bulls missed a 45-yard field goal on its next possession, and Edison relied on its rushing attack to orchestrate a seven-minute touchdown drive to seal the game. Emmanuel Poitier, the Red Raiders second quarterback of the night, found the end zone on a 1-yard rush to put Edison up 17-7 with 4:55 remaining.
“It’s how you react after you go through adversity,” Campbell said. “If you looked at our bench, our offense was settled down. Everybody was in chill mode. It was just a matter of us getting back on the field and doing what we had to do.”
Edison will next travel to St. Petersburg to face Lakewood Friday at 7:30 p.m. while Northwestern will try to rebound next Friday against Columbus in a game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Tropical Park.