DETROIT – Rashad Amos scored two touchdowns, Graham Nicholson hit three field goals and Miami (Ohio) defeated No. 23 Toledo 23-14 in the Mid-American Conference championship game on Saturday.
The RedHawks (11-2) last won the MAC title in 2019 when they defeated Central Michigan. It’s the first time since 2003 that Miami has won 11 games in a season, doing so through the frustration of a respected Toledo running game that was limited to 97 yards on 29 attempts.
“Our rush defense is pretty darn good,” Miami coach Chuck Martin said in his on-field interview after the game. “It was a big challenge … but our offense did just enough to get it done.”
The Rockets (11-2) were trying to become the first Toledo team to win 12 straight games for the first time since 1971.
After a 40-yard field goal by Nicholson early in the third quarter, Dequan Finn gave Toledo its only lead of the game with a 3-yard run. Nicholson gave Toledo a 16-14 lead early in the fourth quarter when he made another 40-yard throw, and Amos sealed the victory when he ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 2:41 left.
Editor favorites
2 relatives
Miami took a 10-0 lead on a 32-yard field goal by Nicholson and a 1-yard run by Amos. The scoring run was initiated by a targeting call against Kiel Eldridge, who hit Smith on a third-and-13 play from the Toledo 16 with 1:25 seconds left in the first quarter.
Toledo scored 9 seconds before halftime on Finn’s 13-yard pass to Anthony Torres. The pair also scored on the 2-point conversion to pull the Rockets to a two-point lead.
“The rhythm of the game never got going,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “We would go over the posts. We would receive a costly penalty to force us back. When you’re behind the posts and in a long-distance situation, the defense has the advantage.”
Nicholson, who has made a field goal in all 13 games this season, saw his streak of kicks come to an end when his 48-yarder hit the left wing with 5:58 left in the third quarter. The MAC Special Teams Player of the Year had made all 25 of his field goal attempts before the miss.
Nicholson is a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, which honors the best placekicker in the country.
The Rockets and RedHawks will find out their bowl destinations on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.