Dec. 3, 2010
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DETROIT, Mich. - Armand Robinson caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Austin Boucher with 33 seconds remaining, lifting Miami to a stunning 26-21 upset of No. 25 Northern Illinois Friday night in the 2010 Marathon MAC Championship Game at Ford Field. The win marked the second time the RedHawks had won the league title game and completed a worst-to-first league finish.
The catch, made in the open after a Northern Illinois blitz, was the 14th of the game for Robinson, tying the Miami school record. It capped a six-play, 52-yard drive that included a fourth-and 20 reception by Chris Givens on a tipped pass. Two plays later, the RedHawks completed the improbable comeback, resembling their season - posting a 9-4 record after winning just one game last year.
The Huskies started their final drive with just 26 seconds remaining and the ball at the 30-yard line. NIU advanced the ball to the Miami 32-yard line with only 10 seconds left, but iMiami's Austin Brown wrapped up Huskie quarterback Chand Harnish on the final play and victory belonged to the RedHawks.
Boucher finished the game 333 yards passing, completing 29 of 46 attempts. Thomas Merriweather rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 attempts, including a 47-yarder on the first offensive play to set the tone. Merriweather was named Miami's Most Valuable Player of the Game.
But it was the RedHawk defense that shined on the big stage, limiting the vaunted Northern Illinois rushing attack to just 92 yards. The Huskies entered the game ranked seventh in the country averaging 279.2 yards on the ground. The 373 yards on total offense were almost 80 less than their season average.
Miami made NIU punt in its first possession. It took the lead 6-0 at the 8:02 mark of the first quarter on Merriweather's one-yard touchdown run, capping an eight-play, 80-yard drive. Trevor Cook's PAT was blocked. The big play in the drive was a 47-yard gallop by Merriweather, the second-longest run of his career. Merriweather had a 96-yard run 10 days ago against Temple in the regular-season finale. Northern Illinois responded quickly. NIU's pass play of 69 yards from Chand Harnish to Martel Moore a minute-and-a-half later at 6:33 of first quarter, plus Michael Cklamovski's successful PAT, put the Huskies on top, 7-6.
Miami's second possession, providing the RedHawks with a 13-7 lead, featured runs of 25 and eight yards by Merriweather and carries of five and 11 yards and a seven-yard TD by freshman Tracy Woods. It was the first time this season that Miami had scored touchdowns on its first two possessions this season. Miami's 13 points were the most it had scored in the first quarter of any game this season.
NIU answered Miami's score again on its third possession, capped by a 27-yard TD pass from Harnish to Moore. The six-play, 70-yard drive put NIU back on top, 14-13. In the first half, Merriweather had 79 yards on only five rushing attempts, while quarterback Austin Boucher was 14-for-21 for 142 yards.
Neither team scored in the second quarter, trading several fruitless possessions. Miami had one final opportunity to score, but Cook's 42-yard field goal was blocked as time expired in the first half.
Midway through the second half, Boucher led Miami on a long drive, but it was stopped on fourth down at NIU's two-yard line when field goal holder Mike Scherpenberg tried to score on the fake.
The third quarter ended with Miami in the lead, 20-14.
NIU scored on the first play of the fourth quarter on a 39-yard pass from Harnish to wideout Willie Clark at the 14:54 mark to put the Huskies in the lead, 21-20. It was a nine-play, 89-yard drive in an elapsed time of 4:52.
That's when Miami put together its miracle touchdown drive, providing a Cinderella finish to a storybook season.
Miami probably won't learn where it's heading for a bowl game until Sunday. Stay tuned to MURedHawks.com for all of the details.
--www.MURedHawks.com--
