Miami (7-5, 6-2 MAC) will face Western Michigan next Saturday at noon at Ford Field in Detroit.
“It was awesome how we came out,” Miami coach Chuck Martin said. “It’s a must-win — you win and you get to play Western in the MAC championship, so everybody knows that. We talked all week that we had to come out fast and get after them and not wait.”
The RedHawks, who have spent much of the season digging out of slow starts, flipped the script immediately.
Gotkowski hit Braylon Isom for a 23-yard touchdown on Miami’s second possession, capping a 7-play, 52-yard drive for a 7-0 lead at the 9:07 mark of the first quarter. After Ball State answered with a short Jalen Bonds scoring run, Gotkowski quickly went back to work, finding Isom again — this time from 10 yards out — to make it 14-7 with 6:26 left in the first.
Ball State (4-8, 3-5) trimmed it to 14-10 on a 43-yard field goal by D.C. Pippin, but Miami closed the opening period with a 4-play, 63-yard march. Jordan Brunson’s 12-yard touchdown run with 21 seconds remaining pushed the margin to 21-10 and set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.
“We just took care of business,” Gotkowski said. “We knew we had to go out there and have a hot start and kind of just take care of what we needed to take care of. We just followed the rules of our offense, our techniques and blocking assignments, and everything was very smooth and bread and butter in the first half.”
Gotkowski finished 12-of-24 passing with no interceptions and three first-half touchdown strikes. He also ran six times for 44 yards, repeatedly extending drives with scrambles and zone-read keepers.
“The biggest plan for us was just to execute our offense, do what we’re taught and do what we’re coached,” Gotkowski said. “Another big thing was just giving our receivers a chance on the ball, getting guys in space and creating plays for them. Having wide receivers who can go up and make plays on the ball gives me a lot of confidence.”
Miami outgained Ball State 458-280, piling up 232 rushing yards and 226 through the air while averaging 6.9 yards per snap. The RedHawks converted 5 of 12 third downs and scored on all four red-zone trips.
Brunson led a deep Miami backfield with 54 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. D’Shawntae Jones added 47 yards and a 1-yard scoring plunge in the third quarter, and Tito Glass churned out 41 yards in late-game clock-killing duty. Eight different RedHawks recorded at least one carry.
“We’ve got a bunch of big running backs that are able to get the job done for us,” Gotkowski said. “The run game was amazing.”
In the passing game, Cole Weaver caught five passes for 66 yards, including gains of 12 and 33 yards on Miami’s third-quarter touchdown drive. Kam Perry added a game-breaking 55-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter, blowing past the secondary on a deep shot down the left sideline to make it 28-10 with 10:09 left in the half.
Isom finished with two touchdown grabs, both in the first quarter, as Miami repeatedly attacked the Cardinals on the perimeter.
“Offense came out smoking and we made a bunch of big plays,” Martin said. “The receivers got open and caught balls. We thought we had an advantage, but the receivers made contested plays — Isom gets a couple, Cole makes a huge play and Kam makes a huge play. And then Thomas puts the ball in position where his guys can go make plays.”
Dom Dzioban’s 33-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the half sent Miami to the locker room with a 31-10 lead — one of the few times this season the RedHawks have been able to breathe before the fourth quarter.
“Today was nice. We just kept scoring,” Martin said. “The defense the first couple drives, not great, but then obviously they settled in and were suffocating the rest of the game. That’s the story of the season really — the defense has given us a chance in a bunch of ugly games. Today was the first day you could actually relax and be up a couple scores. It was kind of nice.”
Ball State quarterback Kiael Kelly flashed early with a 56-yard keeper on the Cardinals’ first scoring drive and finished with 61 rushing yards on 16 carries, but he was under siege most of the day. Miami sacked him six times for 46 yards in losses and hit him repeatedly.
Kelly went 14-of-23 passing for 177 yards and two touchdowns, but much of that production came after the game was decided. His 2-yard swing pass to Qua Ashley with 7:44 left cut the margin to 38-17, but Miami answered with a defensive score when Jermaine Agee scooped up a Kelly fumble at the goal line and fell into the end zone for a 45-17 advantage with 2:11 remaining.
Kelly added a 35-yard touchdown strike to Eric Weatherly with 1:16 to play for the final margin.
Miami linebacker Jackson Kuwatch led a swarming defense with eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. The RedHawks finished with seven tackles for loss overall, forced four fumbles and limited Ball State to 2.9 yards per rush and 4.7 yards per play.
Holding Kelly in check on the ground was a priority after his big early run, Martin said.
“He can go big at any time and he has,” Martin said. “I thought we contained him great, especially running. He’s such a competitive kid and so slippery. Our guys did a great job after those first couple drives.”
Now the RedHawks turn their attention to Western Michigan, a team they edged in a 60-minute battle earlier this season and the one that ultimately helped them out of a three-way tie in the MAC title race.
“Third year in the MAC Championship — it’s awesome,” Martin said. “I tell every recruit, we watch this video of the MAC Championship. I don’t know why you do what you do, but this is why I do what I do — I’m trying to get to Detroit. Championship games are different. The butterflies are different, the stress is different.
“We’ve had an incredible season regardless of what happens next Saturday, but if you win, you go on the wall, and if you lose, you don’t. 2023 is on the wall, 2024 is on the wall. These kids have earned a chance to add 2025.”
For Gotkowski, that opportunity is just the next step.
“To be honest, it feels just like another week,” Gotkowski said. “Every day and every week here we prepare as if it’s our last and it’s championship week. We’re just going to take it one more day and one more week at a time.”
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