Recap: Miami football loses to Western Michigan in MAC championship

The Miami University RedHawks football team fell to the Western Michigan University Broncos 23-13 at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship. It was Miami’s third-straight championship appearance and second-straight loss at Ford Field.

The Broncos held the lead for nearly the entire game after scoring on their first drive. They dominated on the ground with 286 rushing yards to Miami’s 73, and redshirt junior running back Jalen Buckley broke off for two 60+ yard rushing touchdowns.

“He obviously broke two big runs throughout the game [that] we’d like to have back,” said redshirt senior defensive back Silas Walters. “He’s a really good player. If you give him some space, he’ll make you pay … We’d love to have those two plays back. It’s a whole different ball game if we get a stop on those plays.”

Western Michigan jumped to an early lead when redshirt junior running back Jalen Buckley took off for a 67-yard rushing touchdown less than two minutes into the game. The RedHawks responded with a touchdown of their own after Gotkowski threw two deep passes to redshirt junior receiver Kam Perry.

Redshirt senior running back Jordan Brunson punched in for six points, but redshirt senior kicker Dom Dzioban missed the extra point to keep the Broncos ahead by one.

Lowry moved the Broncos into the red zone with a 36-yard pass to graduate student tight-end Michael Brescia on the Broncos’ next drive. Redshirt junior defensive end Adam Trick sacked Lowry at the 2-yard line and returned the initial fumble, but the call was overturned. Instead, redshirt junior kicker Palmer Domschke’s field goal brought Western Michigan up 10-6.

Following a Miami four-and-out, the Broncos took their next drive into the second quarter, culminating in another Domschke field goal. The teams traded several possessions, and the RedHawks evaded another Western Michigan touchdown after a fumble recovery by redshirt senior defensive end Nadame Tucker was ruled an incomplete pass.

Domschke kicked his third field goal of the half – this one from 50 yards – to widen the Broncos’ lead to 16-6 in the final minute of the second quarter. Miami marched down the field and set Dzioban up for a 59-yard attempt, but his missed kick sent the game into half with the RedHawks down by 10.

After another Miami four-and-out to start the second half, Buckley broke off a 64-yard rushing touchdown to put Western Michigan up 23-6. Redshirt senior quarterback Henry Hesson stepped in for Gotkowski, whom head coach Chuck Martin said was injured in the second quarter in the postgame press conference, but his first drive ended after five plays when he fumbled the ball to graduate student linebacker James Camden.

Miami kept the Broncos off the board after a failed fourth-and-2 conversion. The RedHawks moved to the opposing 23-yard line, but a sack on Hesson on fourth-and-2 resulted in a turnover of downs and left the score unchanged.

The RedHawks were unable to close the gap in the fourth quarter. They added a touchdown when Hesson found redshirt sophomore receiver Cole Weaver in the endzone with six minutes on the clock, but the Broncos held onto their lead for the remainder of the game to win their first MAC championship since 2016.

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“We got a couple big plays early, and then we couldn’t generate any big plays the rest of the game,” Martin said. “Both teams did a good job taking care of the football. They deserve the win. They outplayed us, outcoached us, and they’re a really good football team.”

Miami is now 1-2 in the title game since 2023. The RedHawks will next travel to Tucson, Arizona, for the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl on Dec. 27.

@kethanbabu_04

babukc2@miamioh.edu