The Miami University RedHawks football team (7-5, 6-2 in conference play) will compete in its third-straight Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship with a rematch against the Western Michigan University Broncos (8-4, 7-1 in conference play) at Ford Field on Dec. 6.
The RedHawks clinched their spot in Detroit by winning their final game of the regular season against Ball State University. Miami finished the season tied for second with Ohio University and the University of Toledo, but punched its ticket to Detroit thanks to the MAC’s tiebreaker rules.
“This is what we live for,” head coach Chuck Martin said. “To fight for 11 months, to have a chance to be part of one of nine games on Saturday. We’re very, very excited [and] very appreciative of the opportunity. I know we’ve been there a couple years in a row, but that’s a totally different team, totally different year.”
Miami is two quarterbacks removed from the start of the season. Seventh-year quarterback Dequan Finn left the team before the Toledo game, leaving redshirt senior Henry Hesson and redshirt freshman Thomas Gotkowski to fill the role behind center. Gotkowski will play his second career start against the Broncos this weekend.
“It’s definitely been chaotic,” said redshirt senior tight end Brian Shane. “There’s a bunch of opportunities in there for us to fall apart [and] unravel like a lot of other teams would, but credit to our players and our coaching staff. Everyone stuck together, everyone kept their eyes on the prize. We knew we still had a shot of getting to Detroit, and that's what everyone’s wanted to do since January.”
Unlike the rest of the season, Miami handled the Cardinals in the first half. Gotkowski threw three touchdowns and redshirt senior running back Jordan Brunson rushed for one to put the RedHawks up 31-10 at halftime.
Miami added two more touchdowns in the second half and coasted to a 45-21 win at home. It was the team’s largest margin of victory in conference play this season.
“We [haven’t] scored many points in the first half all year,” Martin said. “We actually scored 20 points in just over a quarter, which was huge … We knew we could beat them over 60 minutes, but let’s try to beat them in the first 15.”
Western Michigan secured the No. 1 seed in the conference and confirmed its place in the title game with a win over the Eastern Michigan University Eagles on Nov. 25.
All four of the Broncos’ touchdowns came on the ground. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Broc Lowry scored two of them, bringing his total to 14 this season to tie for first in the MAC. Redshirt junior running back Jalen Buckley and graduate student receiver Tailique Williams also reached the endzone.
Western Michigan’s defense stifled the Eagles, holding them to 21 points after keeping them from the scoreboard for the entire second and third quarters. The Broncos caught a season-high three interceptions while also forcing two fumbles.
Lowry leads the roster with 875 rushing yards, and the Broncos have relied more on their ground game (2,270 rushing yards, 27 touchdowns) compared to their passing game (1,708 passing yards, eight touchdowns) this season.
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The Broncos’ defense is highlighted by redshirt senior defensive end Nadame Tucker, whose 12 sacks leads the MAC and ties for second in the nation. Graduate student safety Tate Hallock and redshirt sophomore safety Joey Pope maintain the secondary, with both having two interceptions this year.
When the RedHawks played Western Michigan in the regular season, they came back from an eight-point deficit in the third quarter to take a 26-17 win. Redshirt senior kicker Dom Dzioban kicked four field goals to keep the team afloat.
Miami especially struggled against the Broncos’ special teams, allowing them to gather 218 kickoff return yards.
“Their special teams really hurt us the first time around,” Martin said. “Their kickoff return team really hurt us for big plays. They got dynamic returns. There’s a reason they’re 7-1, and credit to them … they got through the juggernaut and found ways to win close games.”
In the past three MAC championships, the two teams had met once in the regular season, and the team that won the first game ended up losing in the championship. For Martin, the importance this year is getting his players ready, especially when few of them have ever played in Detroit.
“We got five guys on the roster that played in last year’s game,” Martin said. “These kids have watched it, [but] there’s nobody on our offense that played in that game. On defense, there’s only five that played in the game … The other 105 guys I’m bringing have never set foot on Ford Field other than the pregame and Friday’s walkthrough.”
The RedHawks are looking to close out a whirlwind of a season with their third championship win under Martin. Kickoff for the championship is scheduled for noon on Dec. 6. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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