Miami (OH) RedHawks vs. Central Michigan Chippewas
Where: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
When: Saturday, December 7, 12:00 PM. ET.
The Central Michigan Chippewas will be going for their fourth consecutive win when they face the Miami (OH) RedHawks in the MAC Championship Game on Saturday afternoon.
RedHawks Going For Sixth Win In Seven Games
The RedHawks got off to a 2-6 start this season, but they played well in conference play, winning six of their eight games. They had their five-game winning streak snapped by Ball State in their last game and will try to bounce back from the loss against the Chippewa s and pick up their sixth win in seven games. However, they will need to do a better job on the defensive end than they have for most of the season, especially against a good offensive team like the Chippewas.He got the foot down
— Miami Football (@MiamiOHFootball) December 3, 2019
😮😱😮
Coming in at #4 is this incredible TD catch at Ohio by Jack Sorenson which landed on #SCTopTen 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HeN0AtUkd5
Miami played well against MAC teams this season, which allowed the team to win the East Division, but the two conference losses they had this season came against West Division teams. They will try to avoid losing a third game to a West Division team when they face the Chippewas.
The RedHawks didn’t do a great job throwing the ball during the regular season, averaging 170.9 passing yards per game. They had better luck on the ground, averaging 137.8 rushing yards per game, which was 99th in the country.
Brett Gabbert completed 53.9 percent of his passes for 1,967 yards, 10 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Jaylon Bester rushed for 623 yards and 11 touchdowns, while James Maye led the team with 390 receiving yards and one touchdown.
The RedHawks struggled defensively, giving up 28.8 points per game. They had a tough time slowing down the run, giving up 180.3 rushing yards per game and will need to figure out a way to slow down the run against the Chippewas, who have the 38th best rushing game in the country.
If the RedHawks can slow down the run and force the Chippewas to throw the ball, they will have a better chance of winning this game because they played better against the pass this season, holding opponents to 202.3 passing yards per game.
Chippewas Going For First MAC Title Since 2009
The Chippewas were impressive this season, and are on the verge of completing the biggest turnaround in school history if they win the MAC title on Saturday. The team has followed up a one-win season in 2018 with an eight-win season this year and will try to pick up their ninth win of the year against the RedHawks.Gonna tell my kids this team was picked to finish last in the MAC. #FireUpChips | 🔥⬆️🏈 pic.twitter.com/1BhzZmhqMz
— CMU Football (1) (@CMU_Football) November 29, 2019
Like the RedHawks, the Chippewas finished Mac play with two losses, one of which came on the road to Buffalo and the other against Western Michigan. They did manage to defeat Ball State, which blew out the RedHawks in their last game and have to like their chances going into Saturday’s game.
Central Michigan had one of the best offenses in the country this season, but they still have some room for improvement on the defensive end. The team averaged 35.8 points per game and did a great job keeping their opponents off-balance thanks to a well-rounded offense that averaged 259.2 passing yards per game and 194 rushing yards per game.
Senior quarterback Quinten Dormady completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,916 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Jonathan Ward rushed for 1,056 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Kalil Pimpleton had 771 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
The Chippewas gave up 26.8 points per game defensively, but they played well against Toledo in their last game, holding the Rockets to seven points. If they can keep the RedHawks from running the ball, they should be able to complete their turnaround and win their first MAC title in a decade.
Team Trends
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The top supporting trends for this game, found on Covers.com, are: Miami (OH) is:
- 13-4 ATS in their last 17 conference games.
- 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game.
The top supporting trends for this game, found on Covers.com, are: Central Michigan is:
- 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
- 5-1 ATS in their last 6 conference games.
- 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win.
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