MAC Football: Miami (Ohio) completes comeback, beats Ball State 42-21

MAC Football saw Miami (Ohio) fall behind 21-7 before a season-high 207 yards by senior Alonzo Smith paved the way for a 42-21 victory vs. Ball State.

Who doesn’t love some Tuesday night #MACtion? It’s that time of the week where you’re bummed that there’s no Monday Night Football, you’re flipping through the channels, and, boom. This game between Ball State and Miami (Ohio) may not have had the national spotlight, but there was no shortage of drama and big plays.

Running back Alonzo Smith dazzled for Miami (Ohio), rushing for a season-high 207 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. The senior averaged over 11 yards per carry and now has 539 rushing yards for the season. With their 6th victory of the season, the Redhawks are now bowl-eligible for only the second time since 2010.

The Redhawks entered the contest as 15-point favorites, but they actually fell behind by a 21-7 early in the second quarter after Ball State sophomore quarterback Drew Plitt completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to wideout Riley Miller.

The Redhawks bounced back by intermission to tie the game 21-21 courtesy of senior quarterback Gus Ragland‘s second touchdown toss of the night. Miami (Ohio) finished the game by scoring five consecutive touchdowns, three of which came in the second half.

By virtue of the victory, the Redhawks finish the regular season at 6-6 overall, 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference’s East Division. They will lose the head-to-head tiebreaker for the East Division lead with Buffalo, to whom they lost 52-41 last month. They will await this weekend’s results around the MAC to find out about a possible postseason destination.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, will finish this season 4-8 (3-5). They have not reached a bowl since the end of the 2013 season.