2019 Mac Championship Game Football

Miami, Ohio holds off CMU 26-21 in MAC title game. Brett Gabbert threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jack Sorenson early in the third quarter, and Miami of Ohio controlled most of the second half. The Chippewas will try to punctuate a stunning season with a conference title when Central Michigan faces the Miami RedHawks in the 2019 MAC Championship Game on Saturday. The Chippewas were among.

12/7/2019, 5:53pm

Brett Gabbert led the way with 196 yards.

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.

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.

College Champion Game 2019

Betting Resources

Week 16 Matchup: MAC Championship
Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
Venue: Ford Field
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Date: Friday, Dec. 18
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Bet:BetMGM | BetRivers | FanDuel | PointsBet | All

MAC Championship Betting Odds

Spread: Buffalo -13.5
Money-Line: Buffalo -500 Ball State +400
Total: 67

Odds Subject to Change

How to Handicap Ball State vs. Buffalo

The Bulls have absolutely shredded their opponents this season. They have won all five of their games by at least 19 points, and Buffalo has scored at least 42 points in each game. That offensive firepower has led to four of Buffalo’s five games going over the total.

Buffalo is 4-1 ATS after dismantling outmatched Akron 56-7 last Saturday. The Bulls scored the first seven touchdowns as this ground game churned out 428 yards against the Golden Flashes.

It’s been a little rougher road for Ball State. The Cardinals lost their season opener against Miami of Ohio, but they rallied to win five straight games in order to win the MAC West.

Only one of their five victories has come by more than seven points, so the Cardinals failed to cover in their first three games before cashing for their bettors in their last three games.

Ball State had to win a thriller against Western Michigan last week in order to play in this game.

The Broncos led 27-13 entering the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals scored two touchdowns in less than a minute to tie the game and then pulled ahead with a 22-yard field goal with under 30 seconds remaining.

Western Michigan initially scored on an improbable play with over a dozen laterals as time expired, but that call was reversed and allowed Ball State to win its division.

After losing its opener, the Ball State Cardinals closed their 2020 regular season with five straight wins. (AP)

Betting Analysis – Ball State Cardinals

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

2020: 5-1 SU, 3-3 ATS, 3-3 O/U

Ball State’s offense took an unexpected hit when top running back Caleb Huntley announced that he was opting out after just three games in order to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Huntley had run for 437 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 5.5 YPC while running for over 100 yards in each outing.

Tye Evans and Will Jones have largely split the duties since that point with both players averaging 4.5 YPC.

Drew Plitt had a breakout junior season, and he has been solid as a senior. Plitt has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 8.4 YPA with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions for Ball State this year. He isn’t much of a running threat though, leading to Plitt being sacked 20 times.

Mac Football Conference 2019

The best playmaker on the Cardinals is Justin Hall. Hall is the leading receiver and third-leading rusher on Ball State.

The 5’9 senior from Georgia had a big game against Western Michigan, and he has 44 receptions on the season for 620 yards (14.1 YPR) with three touchdowns to go with 176 rushing yards (7.3 YPC). Yoheinz Tyler and Antwan Davis have been consistent targets in the passing game too.

The Cardinals don’t have a good defense. They are allowing 27.5 PPG and 432.2 YPG, as the secondary is one of the worst in the conference.

Opponents are averaging 8.1 YPA and 284.3 YPG against this defense, and that might lead to the Bulls taking to the air more often.

Betting Analysis - Buffalo Bulls

2020: 5-0 SU, 4-1 ATS, 4-1 O/U

This is one of the most impressive offenses in the country. Buffalo leads the nation in scoring (51.8 PPG) and has the most effective ground game in college football this year.

The Bulls are averaging an FBS-best 7.5 YPC and 344.2 YPG behind a rugged offensive line and two excellent running backs.

Jaret Patterson ran for over 1,000 yards in just five games. This is Patterson’s third straight 1,000-yard season, and he set a record with the best two consecutive games in FBS history by running for 710 yards and 12 touchdowns against Bowling Green and Kent State.

Patterson is averaging 8.3 YPC with 18 touchdowns, finding the end zone at least twice in each game.

Kevin Marks Jr. has put up starter’s numbers as a back-up. Marks has run for 510 yards (7.5 YPC) in five games with five touchdowns. He is more of a straight-line runner than Patterson, and these two make an impressive duo.

Those dizzying numbers have kept the pressure off QB Kyle Vantrease. Vantrease is throwing the ball just 17 times per game on average.

He has completed 60 percent of his passes for 821 yards (9.7 YPA) with six touchdowns and an interception. Antonio Nunn has been the main threat in the passing game with 20 receptions for 353 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bulls’ defense has been solid, but not spectacular. Buffalo is allowing 21.0 PPG and 367.2 YPG on the year. They have been fortunate in that they have played from ahead the whole year though, so opponents have been mostly one-dimensional.

Historically Speaking

Head-to-Head

Ball State is 7-2 against Buffalo. These teams first met shortly after the Bulls joined the MAC in 2000, and the Cardinals won that game 44-35. They scored at least 40 points in each of their first four meetings, and Ball State won three of those games by 20 points or more.

Buffalo’s first victory over Ball State was in one of the most important games in Ball State history. The Cardinals were 12-0 and looking to crash the BCS during the 2008 season with Nate Davis at the helm.

Ball State had more than 500 total yards of offense, but five turnovers were too much to overcome in a 42-24 Buffalo win in the 2008 MAC Championship Game.

Last Meeting

Tyree Jackson was superb in the last game between these teams. Jackson completed 16 of 28 passes for 350 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-24 victory for Buffalo. Caleb Huntley had 151 yards from scrimmage for the Cardinals, but their passing game struggled to move the chains.

Notable Betting Trends

-- The underdog has covered in five straight games

-- The over has cashed in six of the last eight games

-- Buffalo is 7-1 ATS over its last eight games

MAC Championship Predictions

Score Prediction: Buffalo 45, Ball State 21
Best Bet: Buffalo

MAC Betting History Results & Notes

Betting Results - Favorites vs. Underdogs - Total (Over-Under)

Wager	Straight Up (SU)	Against the Spread (ATS)	Total (Over-Under)
Results	14-9	8-15	11-12

History - Betting Notes