The college football conference championship weekend is one of the best weekends in all of sports. We get to see the best athletes at their age fight for something bigger than themselves. While most TVs were tuned into the power four conferences, one championship might have flown under the radar of most.
Dec 6th, the Miami of Ohio RedHawks (7-6) faced off against the Western Michigan Broncos (9-4) in the Mid-American Conference Football Championship at Ford Field in Detroit. The Broncos ended up hoisting the trophy with a final score of 23-13. Though 10 points decided the game, the final score doesn’t tell the whole story.
Miami entered its third straight championship appearance, while WMU looked to avenge a 26–17 loss to the RedHawks earlier this season. Emotions were high; Western Michigan had not lifted the trophy in eight years since the 2016 season.
Both teams started hot early in the first quarter. The Broncos capped off their first drive with a 67-yard rush thanks to Jalen Buckley, 3 plays 75 yards, 1:27. The RedHawks returned with a touchdown themselves following a 1-yard rush by Jordan Brunson, 5 plays 75 yards 1:53. Following the score, kicker Dom Dzioban had his PAT blocked, keeping the score 6-7 in favor of the Broncos with 11:40 still left to play in the first quarter.
With their next possession, the Broncos were able to add three more points to their total due to a Palmer Domschke 27-yard Field Goal to cap off a 10-play, 66-yard drive that took 4:49 off the play clock and left 4:49 in the first. 10-6 Broncos.
This is where the RedHawks' struggles began after a 3-and-out; they gave the ball right back to the Broncos, who capitalised once again with a Domschke 31-yard field goal, putting the Broncos up 13-6 with 7:02 left in the half.
Following two punts from both teams, the Broncos had one more opportunity to put points on the board in the first half, and Domschke nailed another Field Goal this time from 50 yards out, giving the Broncos a 16-6 lead with 0:50 seconds left. Miami got the ball back with one more hope in closing the gap before the break. After making it to the WMU 40, the RedHawks lined up for a 59-yard field goal as time expired. Luckily for the Broncos, Dzioban missed to the left, leaving the score at 16-6 in favor of Western Michigan.
Miami's struggles continued into the second half. With yet another 3-and-out, the Broncos found themselves in a perfect position to punch one more touchdown in following a 64-yard rush by Buckley, 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:43. 13:16 left in the third. 23-6 Broncos.
Following the touchdown, the RedHawks give the ball right back to the Broncos after Henry Hesson fumbles, giving WMU prime field position at Miami's 37. But fail to move the ball, giving the ball back after only four plays and 9 yards.
Following some poor ball movement from both sides, the RedHawks brought back a spark of life to their team after punching one final touchdown as Cole Weaver caught an 8-yard pass from Thomas Gotkowski. Finalizing the score at 23-13 in favor of the WMU Broncos.
Three Broncos earned championship game honors:
• Offensive Player of the Game: RB Jalen Buckley — 195 yards, 2 TDs
• Defensive Player of the Game: DE Nadame Tucker — 6 tackles, 6 QB hits
• Special Teams Player of the Game: K Palmer Domschke — 3 field goals (long of 50), 2 PATs
SportsCaster Ayden Novak and I were in the post-game interview with WMU head coach Lance Taylor as he talked about his team, "We played complementary football, and it was a team win." He also talked about how their defense was able to settle in early in the game. Taylor also discussed the team's game plan, praising defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary and his staff for preparing the defense for this matchup.
We have one more opportunity to see both teams continue after this week, thanks to Bowl Games. Miami of Ohio will take on Fresno State in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl on Sat, Dec 27th at 4:30 p.m. Western Michigan will take on Kennesaw State in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Fri, Dec 19th at 11 a.m.