2023 MAC Football Championship Game

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2023 MAC Football Championship Game
Conference championship
Miami RedHawks Toledo Rockets
(10–2) (11–1)
23 14
Head coach: 
Chuck Martin		 Head coach: 
Jason Candle
APCoachesCFP
23NRNR
1234 Total
Miami 100310 23
Toledo 0860 14
DateDecember 2, 2023
Season2023
StadiumFord Field
LocationDetroit, Michigan
MVPOffense: Aveon Smith (QB, Miami)
Defense: Matt Salopek (LB, Miami)
Special Teams: Graham Nicholson (K, Miami)
FavoriteToledo by 8
RefereeDavid Siegle
Attendance20,200
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersAnish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
MAC Football Championship Game
 < 2022 2024 > 
2023 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Miami (OH) xy$   7 – 1     11 – 3  
Ohio   6 – 2     10 – 3  
Bowling Green   5 – 3     7 – 6  
Buffalo   3 – 5     3 – 9  
Akron   1 – 7     2 – 10  
Kent State   0 – 8     1 – 11  
West Division
Toledo xy   8 – 0     11 – 3  
Northern Illinois   5 – 3     7 – 6  
Eastern Michigan   4 – 4     6 – 7  
Central Michigan   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Ball State   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Western Michigan   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Championship: Miami (OH) 23, Toledo 14
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant

The 2023 MAC Football Championship Game was a college football conference championship game played on December 2, 2023, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. It was the 27th edition of the MAC Football Championship Game and determined the champion of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for the 2023 season. The game began at 12:00 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN.[1] The game featured the Western Division champion Toledo Rockets against the Eastern Division champion Miami RedHawks. Miami won their first MAC Championship since 2019 with a 23–14 upset victory.[2]

Venue[edit]

The 2023 MAC title game was held at Ford Field for the 20th consecutive season.[3][4] The venue, located in downtown Detroit at 2000 Brush St., is the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) and has a seating capacity for football of 65,000.[5]

Teams[edit]

The game featured the Toledo Rockets, champions of the Western Division, against the Miami RedHawks, champions of the Eastern Division.

Toledo[edit]

Main article: 2023 Toledo Rockets football team

Toledo clinched a berth in the championship game following their win over Eastern Michigan on November 8.[6]

Miami (OH)[edit]

Main article: 2023 Miami RedHawks football team

Miami clinched a berth in the championship game following their win over Buffalo on November 16.[7]

Game summary[edit]

2023 MAC Championship Game
Miami RedHawks (10–2, 7–1) vs. Toledo Rockets (11–1, 8–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Miami 10 0 31023
Toledo 0 8 6014

at Ford Field • Detroit, MI

  • Date: Saturday, December 2, 2023
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 20,200
  • Referee: David Siegle
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff, Andre Ware and Paul Carcaterra
  • Pregame line Toledo −8.0; O/U 44.5 • MAC Notes
Game information
First Quarter
  • (11:40) M-OH – Graham Nicholson 33 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards, 3:20; Miami 3–0)
  • (0:46) M-OH – Rashad Amos 1 yard rush, Graham Nicholson kick (Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 3:26; Miami 10–0)
Second Quarter
  • (0:09) TOL – Anthony Torres 13 yard pass from Dequan Finn, Dequan Finn pass to Anthony Torres for 2-PT conversion (Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 3:17; Miami 10–8)
Third Quarter
  • (10:55) M-OH – Graham Nicholson 40 yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 33 yards, 3:01; Miami 13–8)
  • (9:00) TOL – Dequan Finn 4 yard rush, Luke Pawlak kick failed (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:55; Toledo 14–13)
Fourth Quarter
  • (13:27) M-OH – Graham Nicholson 40 yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 26 yards, 4:06; Miami 16–14)
  • (2:41) M-OH – Rashad Amos 10 yard rush, Graham Nicholson kick (Drive: 6 plays, 72 yards, 3:23; Miami 23–14)
Statistics Miami Toledo
First downs 14 17
Plays–Yards 59–306 65–370
Rushes/yards 43–197 29–97
Passing yards 109 273
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 6–16–0 18–36–1
Time of possession 34:03 25:57
Team Category Player Statistics
Miami Passing Aveon Smith 6/16, 109 yards
Rushing Aveon Smith 21 carries, 99 yards
Receiving Luke Bolden 1 reception, 40 yards
Toledo Passing Dequan Finn 18/36, 273 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Peny Boone 11 carries, 41 yards
Receiving Junior Vandeross III 6 receptions, 106 yards

References[edit]

  1. ^ "2023 MAC Football Championship". MAC. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  2. ^ "Miami (Ohio) beats No. 23 Toledo 23-14 to win MAC championship". CBS Sports. December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  3. ^ Paul, Tony (July 26, 2022). "MAC signs three-year extension to keep football title game at Ford Field". Detroit News. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  4. ^ Kelly, Kyle (November 30, 2023). "MAC signs three-year extension to keep football title game at Ford Field". FBS Schedules. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  5. ^ "About Ford Field". Ford Field. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  6. ^ "Toledo football clinches MAC West title, punches ticket to conference championship game". WTOL. November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "Miami clinches East Division title, MAC Championship game berth". Butler County Journal-News. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
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