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Miami defeats Central Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Ford Field.

The Miami RedHawks (8-5, 6-2) have defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas (8-5, 6-2) in the 2019 MAC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. The final score was 26-21 In favor of the RedHawks, who were led by Brett Gabbert’s 196 yards. Both teams will be playing in a bowl game beginning on Saturday, Dec. 20.

Miami got the scoring started quickly as the opening kick off was returned 98 yards before Jaylon Bester scored a one-yard touchdown to put the RedHawks up 7-0 with 13:59 left in the first quarter. Central Michigan tied the game about three minutes into the second quarter as Tommy Lazarro scored from 21 yards out.

The RedHawks regained the lead with a 42-yard field goal from Sam Sloman with 8:26 remaining in the second quarter. Quinten Dormady put the Chippewas up for the first time as he found Tyrone Scott for an 11-yard TD. Central Michigan led 14-10 at halftime as Dormady had 96 yards on a 70.6% completion rate.

Gabbert put Miami back in the lead with a 31-yard screen pass to Jack Sorenson, which put the RedHawks up 17-14 with 12:05 left in the third quarter. Miami would pick up six first downs in the third period alone. Sloman connected on a pair of field goals, from 33 yards and 48 yards, respectively, to extend Miami’s lead to 23-14.

College Football Championship Games 2019

Central Michigan fought back into the game as Lazarro scored from four yards out to cut into the deficit, but it wasn’t enough in the end. Sloman knocked through a 42-yard field goal to seal the win as Miami came away with the 26-21 victory. He was named Special Teams Player of the Game. It is the third championship in Miami school history.

“We have a special group. We have the last few years. They care about each other and they do the right things. Central deserved this as much as we did,” Miami head coach Chuck Martin said on the field following the win. “I’m crazy proud of these guys. We thought we had a good group of guys and we finally did it today.”

Eastern Michigan fell to Central Michigan earlier in the season on Saturday, Oct. 5 in Mount Pleasant. The Chippewas ran away with the game, winning 42-16, as Ward finished with 132 yards and two touchdowns. The last time EMU faced Miami was on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017. The Eagles won 27-24. Shaq Vann averaged 4.4 yards per carry in the win.

“What most people don’t realize is that a lot of the players from the MAC either had power five offers and didn’t have the grades or whatever the situation may be or are actually transfers,” former Central Michigan wideout Damon Terry said. “A lot of people think the MAC is some push over kind of football and that’s not the case.”

The MAC finished the season with eight bowl eligible teams, including EMU. The full list consists of Buffalo (7-5), Central Michigan (8-5), Eastern Michigan (6-6), Kent State (6-6), Miami (8-5), Ohio (6-6), Toledo (6-6) and Western Michigan (7-5). Each team will find out where their bowl game will be on Sunday, Dec. 8.

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Eastern Michigan takes down Buffalo at home for second consecutive victory

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In 2020 — a year full of uncertainty and surprise — Ball State Football did it all Friday night in the Motor City.

Mac Championship Game 2019 Scores

The same team that failed to win a Mid-American Conference game in 2017 with many of its 22 current senior players as freshmen.

The same team that improved to 4-8 in 2018 and 5-7 in 2019, but lost three of its final four games by one score or fewer last season.

The same team that adopted 'Detroit or Bust' last offseason as its rallying cry, knowing it had the motivation it needed to eventually succeed in a shortened, six-game season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Playing in an empty Ford Field, Ball State (6-1 MAC) accomplished its ultimate goal Friday night, capping off a season the MAC initially postponed last August. The Cardinals defeated No. 23 Buffalo (5-1 MAC) 38-28 and are Mid-American Conference Champions for the first time since 1996.

'That's music to my ears,' head coach Mike Neu said, 'to hear that Ball State is 2020 MAC Champions. I'm so proud of the guys that are seniors on this team.... 2017 was really ugly for us as a program — there [were] a lot of lopsided losses — but we just continued to preach positivity and hard work. These men stayed here, and they stayed the course.'

Neu is no stranger to winning championships himself, as he won two MAC titles with the Cardinals as quarterback in 1989 and 1993. Twenty-seven years later, he has won his first as head coach.

Prior to Friday's game, Neu preached the importance of not taking these opportunities for granted to his players. Facing an undefeated Buffalo team, Neu said the Cardinals entered Friday's championship game with an underdog mentality. He described it as 'Ball State against the world.'

'It could be the greatest moment of your life or it could be one of those moments you live with forever, knowing that, 'Dang it, we did not finish that mission,' Neu said. 'Detroit or Bust' certainly was the mantra, but finishing the mission — once you get here — was the ultimate goal.'

Through the first quarter, Buffalo led Ball State 14-7. While redshirt senior quarterback Drew Plitt connected with junior wide receiver Yo'Heinz Tyler on a 10-yard pass to end Ball State's first drive, Buffalo junior running back Jaret Patterson showed the Cardinals why they were considered favorites heading into this game.

However, Ball State's defense reached a turning point early in the second quarter. Keeping Buffalo from running up the score, redshirt junior linebacker Jimmy Daw blocked a 27-yard field goal attempt from Bulls' senior kicker Alex McNulty. It was the first time the Cardinals had blocked a field goal since the 2011 season.

Along with the blocked kick, Daw finished Friday's game with seven tackles and one sack for a loss of 9 yards late in the second quarter — the first against a Buffalo player in more than a year.

'I just tried to work the pass rush moves that I've been taught ever since I've got here,' Daw said. 'I got a good jump from the start, and I saw the quarterback looking to throw. I wanted to change the game.'

Ball State tied the game at 14 apiece midway through the second quarter on a 1-yard rushing touchdown from redshirt senior quarterback Drew Plitt. Just more than a minute later, the Bulls took a 21-14 lead before Plitt connected with senior wide receiver Justin Hall on a 9-yard pass to tie the game again.

With fewer than two minutes remaining in the second quarter, Plitt found redshirt freshman wide receiver Jalen McGaughy for 56 yards.

Then — abruptly ending Buffalo's drive — Daw sacked Bulls' junior quarterback Kyle Vantrease at the Bulls' 34-yard line. Senior outside linebacker Christian Albright recovered the fumble, returning 34 yards on the play and giving Ball State a 35-21 lead.

Freshman kicker Jacob Lewis extended the Cardinals' lead early in the third quarter to 16 points on a field goal. While that marked the last time Ball State put points on the board, its defense held its own. Neu said he didn't panic once the remainder of the game because he trusted his team's defense.

'We expect to play four quarters,' Neu said. 'That's just who we are.'

Mac Football Bowl Games 2019

The Cardinals limited Patterson — the 2020 MAC Offensive Player of the Year — to a season-low 47 rushing yards.

'This team we were facing was leading the country in scoring,' Neu said. 'They've got a running back [Patterson] that's up for the Heisman [Trophy]....it was talked about over and over and over, but it was preached in our building that you can't beat 11 hats to the football. Our guys took pride in that.'

Defensively, redshirt junior linebacker Brandon Martin led the Cardinals Friday with 13 tackles. After missing most of 2019 due to injury, Martin received Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors earlier this week, having recorded double-digit tackles in five of Ball State's six regular season games.

Having described Martin as 'the hardest worker on this season's team,' Neu took his appreciation of the linebacker a step further Friday. He said he could become the next President.

'When I say that, it's because of what's he's made of,' Neu said. 'He is an unbelievable leader. He's been through so many growing pains, he's been through some injuries [and] his mental toughness is second to none for anyone that I've ever been around.'

Daw echoed off Neu's sentiments on his fellow linebacker.

'I can't even put it into words how unbelievable he's been,' Daw said. 'He puts in the time on and off the field, just continually working and leading all the young guys in growing on this team. He's a special player to this program, and he's one of the main reasons we've got to this point.'

In his final MAC game as a Cardinal, Plitt completed 20 of 32 passes for 263 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. He is now the second member of his family to win a championship over the last two years. His sister, Marie, helped guide Ball State Women's Volleyball to a MAC Championship in 2019.

Plitt labeled all of his fellow senior players as 'leaders' in helping the Cardinals reach their No. 1 goal Friday night.

'We set out a goal for this year, and we came through with it,' Plitt said. 'We made sure that everybody knew what that goal was and to stick by that goal. It's an unbelievable feeling.'

Contact Connor Smith with comments at cnsmith@bsu.edu or on Twitter @cnsmith_19.

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