OXFORD — Ty Wise and the Miami RedHawks weren’t in a good spot following their road loss to Toledo on Oct. 5.
The defending Mid-American Conference champions decided to do something about it.
“There’s two different parts to that,” said Wise, a senior linebacker. “We said to ourselves, ‘We’re not going to lose again.’ Just because we thought we played an amazing second half that game, and we knew we were a championship-caliber team and can’t lose again.”
The RedHawks haven’t lost since — winning seven straight — and they’re playing for another MAC title as a result.
Miami (8-4, 7-1 MAC) will face Ohio (9-3, 7-1 MAC) on Saturday in Detroit for a second Battle of the Bricks with kickoff slated for noon on ESPN.
“We can either continue to go on the route we were going — I think we were 1-4 at the time — or we can keep losing games,” Wise said. “Or we can rally, and everybody can work harder, and we can turn it around. Obviously, we’ve had one of the best turnarounds in the country.”
Here are five things to know about the MAC title game:
1. Ole McDonald
Miami wide receiver Cade McDonald showed the kind of impact he has on the field against Bowling Green last week. The redshirt senior caught nine passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
It was the first time McDonald saw action since leaving the game early against Ball State on Nov. 5.
“Getting Cade back was great for the first time in four weeks that he’d played,” Miami coach Chuck Martin said. “He’s a huge weapon for us. We didn’t really get anybody else back, but just him alone getting back. He’s one of our best football players.”
McDonald, who transferred from Michigan State before the 2023 season, has 47 receptions for 589 yards and three touchdowns in 2024.
2. Gamer Gabbert
Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert made his 50th career start last week against Bowling Green, and the redshirt senior will have a chance to win his third MAC title.
Gabbert went 14-for-27 for 196 yards and a touchdown as a freshman to lead Miami to a 26-21 victory over Central Michigan in the 2019 MAC championship game.
He sustained a season-ending leg injury in 2023 before the RedHawks went on to beat Toledo in Detroit.
“This is huge,” Gabbert said. “At one point, doctors didn’t know if I was ever going to run again or walk normal. So, to play this year, play the whole season, we start 1-4, and we’ve won every game since then, it means a lot.
“Didn’t ever think in a million years I’d be standing here where I am today after I broke my leg. But at the end of the day, I came out here and did my job. My job is to help this team win.”
3. A ‘Wise’ defense
Wise led the defensive charge against Bowling Green last week, when the RedHawks forced eight punts, recorded two fourth-down stops and collected four sacks.
He added his first interception of the season.
“Going off of last year, and then this year with Ohio, teams progress throughout the year,” Wise said. “The team we played in Ohio a couple weeks ago is not the same team we are going to play. Obviously, they’re going to be better. They’ve gotten a lot better this season. Obviously, haven’t lost this month (November), and obviously made it to the championship.
“Their offense is working really, really well right now. Same with us, though. It’s both teams progressing a lot. It will be a great game. It’s definitely going to be different than the first time we played them.”
Wise had eight tackles in Miami’s win against Ohio earlier this season.
4. Familiar foe
Miami beat Ohio 30-20 on Oct. 19, when Gabbert threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns. Keyon Mozee added 111 rushing yards and a score.
“Really, the first game, it was 30-6 in the fourth quarter, and they put in their subs, and we put our subs in,” Martin said. “I don’t see the game going that way again.
“After the first time we played them, we beat a really good team, and we made a really good team not look as good. They didn’t have probably their best game that day, and we played really well. We made some big plays and capitalized on our opportunities.”
Miami’s defense, which held Ohio to just six points through three quarters of play, forced two interceptions and added three sacks in the win.
Ohio has won five in a row and features the conference’s third-ranked offense by scoring 28.5 points a game.
Quarterback Parker Navarro has thrown for 1,934 yards and 10 touchdowns, with 876 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
“Much like us, they’ve been getting better and better as the year’s gone on,” Martin said. “They’re the same team because they’re OU, and they do what they do, and they do it really well.”
The Bobcats allow just 18.7 points — third best in the MAC — and are led by Bradley Weaver’s eight sacks.
5. Championship caliber
Miami is 4-2 when playing in the MAC championship game.
The RedHawks beat Toledo in 2023 (23-14), beat Central Michigan in 2019 (26-21), beat Northern Illinois in 2010 (26-21), lost to Central Michigan in 2007 (35-10), lost to Toledo in 2004 (35-27) and beat Bowling Green in 2003 (49-27).
Miami won the MAC three years in a row from 1973-1975 and again in 1977 and 1985. The last time a team won back-to-back MAC titles was when Northern Illinois did it in 2011 and 2012.
“It would be awesome,” Martin said. “Like we talked about with the kids, we haven’t repeated since ’75. It’s hard to do. You bring it up just because it’s hard to do. We’ve been talking about it since January, it’s hard to repeat. It’s part of our first team meetings, nobody repeats.
“To win one of them, it’s just hard, and what happens is you take the foot off the gas. You still try hard, but you don’t try as hard. You still prepare hard, but you don’t prepare as hard. Well, guess what? The team that didn’t get there and is trying to get there for the first time, they’re preparing harder. They’re playing harder. I know, I’ve been there.”
