Recap: Miami clinches MAC championship berth with win over Bowling Green

The Miami University RedHawks football team (8-4, 7-1 in conference play) earned its second-straight trip to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship with today’s win over the Bowling Green State University Falcons (7-5, 6-2 in conference play).

Multiple turnovers characterized the first quarter. Bowling Green’s punt on its opening drive was followed by sixth-year quarterback Brett Gabbert’s ninth pick of the season halfway through the first quarter.

The Falcons were unable to put up any points. Junior John Henderson punted 13 yards to give Miami the ball at the opposing 30-yard line. The RedHawks seized the opportunity when Gabbert found redshirt senior receiver Cade McDonald for a 30-yard touchdown.

Miami had a chance to score again, but senior defensive back Jordan Oladokun intercepted Gabbert’s pass intended for McDonald and returned it to Bowling Green’s 40-yard line to close out the first quarter.

Henderson’s next punt put Miami at the 1-yard line. The Falcons scored two points from a safety after tackling senior running back Dylan Downing in the endzone.

With the ball back, Bowling Green ate five minutes off the clock. The drive culminated in a field goal from junior kicker Zach Long, bringing the score to 7-5.

The RedHawks doubled their lead late in the second quarter. Junior receiver Reggie Virgil caught a deflected pass from redshirt sophomore receiver Javon Tracy for a touchdown, bringing Miami up 14-5.

Senior linebacker Ty Wise earned his first interception of the season on senior quarterback Connor Bazelak early in the third quarter. Several punts succeeded this interception, with neither team impacting the scoreboard until the fourth quarter.

A five-minute drive was capped by a rushing touchdown from senior running back Jaison Patterson, bringing Bowling Green down two early in the fourth quarter.

However, Miami extended its lead two plays into the next drive when Gabbert found Tracy for a 72-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 21-12 with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Miami increased its score after senior running back Keyon Mozee rushed for a 27-yard touchdown.

Those fourth quarter touchdowns ultimately led to Miami’s 28-12 victory.

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Gabbert finished the day with 255 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Of his 18 targets, McDonald and Virgil caught 15 of them, including one touchdown for each.

One year ago, Gabbert couldn’t walk after his injury against the University of Toledo Rockets. After the game, he said that going back to the MAC championship shows how far this team has come since September.

“It’s huge,” Gabbert said. “At one point, the doctors didn’t know if I was ever going to run again. To play the whole season, start 1-4 [and] pretty much win every game since then, it means a lot.”

Defensively, redshirt junior defensive back Silas Walters led with 10 tackles. Four RedHawks sacked Bazelak, and the defense forced Bowling Green to punt eight times.

“Our defense is phenomenal,” Gabbert said. “It’s very comforting as an offensive player to know that your defense can go out there and get a stop or a turnover on any given drive.”

The RedHawks’ seventh straight win brings them to the MAC championship next week against the Ohio University Bobcats (8-3, 6-1 in conference play). It will be the second matchup between the two this season.

Miami defeated the Bobcats 30-20 earlier this season at the 100th Battle for the Bricks. Since then, Ohio has won five straight games, including its 42-21 victory over Ball State to earn a trip to Detroit.

Head coach Chuck Martin said facing a rivalry opponent twice in one year is great for the RedHawks.

“[We] got a shot against a really good Ohio team and a double Battle of the Bricks,” Martin said. “That’s Christmas twice in one year for both schools.”

The RedHawks take to Ford Field next Saturday.

@thekethan04

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