His football career will end today without much in the way of statistics or fanfare.

Jake Wurzelbacher still plans to go out with a smile. The fact that he’s even a member of Miami University’s football team is a source of pride.

“I have fun on Saturdays,” said Wurzelbacher, a walk-on wide receiver and Badin High School graduate. “I have fun through the week just playing on the team with the guys. It’s a big deal. I think I accomplished a lot.”

The RedHawks close the season at Yager Stadium this afternoon against Ball State. It hasn’t been a great year. Miami is 4-7.

The 6-foot-4, 183-pound Wurzelbacher is mostly a special-teams player and hasn’t caught a pass. He’s caught one during his three years at MU. He could view that as disappointing but chooses not to.

“I took a risk just to get here,” Wurzelbacher said. “They didn’t have to pick me up. I could’ve not made the team. I’ve been fortunate to not get injured.”

He started his collegiate journey at Division III power Mount Union in northeast Ohio. Wurzelbacher saw no action and chose to come back home after one semester.

He enrolled at Miami Hamilton and took night classes for a semester while working a full-time job at Lowe’s in Colerain Twp. He never forgot about football.

In the fall of 2010, Wurzelbacher transferred to the Oxford campus. He talked to then-assistant coach J.D. Vonderheide about trying out for the RedHawks, and then did just that with about 20 other guys.

Miami lost at Florida on Sept. 4. Two days later, Vonderheide informed him he had made the team.

“I came down here at like 5:30 in the morning, and that was it,” said Wurzelbacher, the lone player from that tryout still on the roster. “I was on the team.”

He was a scout team player that season. MU won the Mid-American Conference title and the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Wurzelbacher was a game-day spectator, but he was happy.

“I had a great time,” Wurzelbacher said. “The guys were great about accepting me as part of the team. It was great to be a part of an institution like Miami and be a part of something bigger than you.”

Last season, he came off the bench and played in the opener at Missouri. The game was a 17-6 loss, but it was a huge occasion for Wurzelbacher.

“It was the first or second quarter, and I was lined up on offense,” he said. “I ended up playing special teams later that game. I didn’t play a lot, but it was a pretty awesome experience because that was the culmination of everything. All the hard work, going to night classes at MUH. All the crazy stuff paid off when I got in against Missouri.

“I talked to my mom after the game, and she said my whole family’s at my house watching me on TV. She said she was crying. That was a pretty cool experience.”

He was a special-teams player most of last season but did catch a pass, a 10-yard connection with former Greater Catholic League rival Austin Boucher (from Alter High School) against Cincinnati.

“It was towards the end of the game, and Boucher rolled out and hit me on the sideline,” Wurzelbacher said. “I kind of had to dive for it. It was a pretty cool catch.”

He came back this year thinking he’d be more of a factor in the passing game. It hasn’t turned out that way.

Wurzelbacher, who had a touchdown reception in the spring game last April, played some offense against Ohio State and Bowling Green, but his focus has been kickoff and punt returns.

“I think we have one of the strongest receiving corps in the MAC,” Wurzelbacher said. “Just being able to play with them and learn from them has been a good experience. And playing special teams, I’ve had some great experiences … Boise State, Ohio State. Those are things you’ll always remember.

“Before I even came in, my first goal was to get on the team and just try to play a little bit by my senior year. I was playing by my junior year, and I was playing a decent amount. A lot of guys don’t even get to play as much as me. From that standpoint, I kind of exceeded my expectations.

“I think it all really paid off in the end. My dad and mom go to every game. People from the community, people from Badin, got to see me play. I think they’re all proud of me. I’m proud of myself.”

Wurzelbacher — an English education major who wants to be a high school English teacher — has a year of eligibility remaining, but he knows it’s time to move on.

The Miami coaches told him at the beginning of the season that they viewed him as a senior rather than a redshirt junior. He was OK with that.

Today, around 4 p.m., it’ll all be over.

”I don’t know when it’s going to hit me, but I’m sure it’ll be emotional when it does,” Wurzelbacher said. “I know I’m going to miss it, but I know I played at the highest level of college football that I personally could have. And I think when it’s all said and done, I won’t look back with any regrets.”