search
Donate

Sports

[Grant Kiefer & Josh Hoerner | WOUB]

Ohio faces Miami (OH) in their first neutral-site meeting for the MAC Championship

By:
Posted on:

< < Back to

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Ohio Football (9-3, 7-1 MAC) looks to win its first MAC Championship since 1968 against the Miami RedHawks (8-4, 7-1 MAC).

The Ohio Bobcats are returning to Ford Field in Detroit, after falling to the Toledo Rockets in 2022. This year’s opponent is a team they’ve played 100 times in their history, the Miami RedHawks.

The first time these two teams matched up this season, the RedHawks beat the Bobcats 30-20 on October 19th. Since then, the Bobcats have not lost a single contest, entering the title game on a five-game winning streak.

Ohio QB Parker Navarro runs out of the pocket in a game vs Miami (OH) on Oct. 19. [Conor Mallonn | WOUB Public Media]
In that first contest, quarterback Parker Navarro threw two interceptions but has since played his best football of the season. Navarro was able to use the film against Miami and learn from it.

“I think there’s a lot of takeaways that we’ve learned just watching that film,” Navarro said. “But in terms of what I can say, I think it’s just taking care of the football, making good decisions, and keeping the offense moving down the field.

Ohio struggled in the first half against Miami. It fell behind 16-0 at halftime and couldn’t recover from the deficit.

The Redhawks were able to use the ground game to propel their offense. They averaged just over five yards per carry while running back Keyon Mozee went for 112 yards on 16 carries.

The Bobcats were unable to register a sack on Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert. Gabbert made plays from the pocket, throwing an effective 14 for 21.

Their loss in the first matchup has the Bobcats motivated and prepared for Saturday.  Ohio safety Adonis Williams Jr. is looking forward to playing Miami again.

“To be back there playing our rival, it means a lot after playing them already once this year and not coming out with the win,” Williams said.  “It’s going to mean even more, and even more emotions are going to be into it.”

After 100 matchups in this already storied rivalry, the next game could be one of the biggest and most important in the history of the Battle of the Bricks.