Miami RedHawks stun Northern Illinois to win Mid-American Conference football title

UPDATED: Miami converts a fourth-and-20 on the final drive before getting a 33-yard touchdown pass for the game-winner.

DETROIT — The Miami RedHawks survived their own kicking game problems by collecting in a tipped pass on fourth-and-20 to keep a drive alive, then beating the blitz with a 33-yard touchdown pass for a stunning 26-21 upset over No. 24 Northern Illinois to win the Mid-American Conference Championship on Friday night at 'Ford Field.

"Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good," said Miami quarterback Austin Boucher, the freshman backup who has won three straight games since taking over for the injured Zac Dysert. "The play was made, the drive stayed alive and the rest is history. We still had to score, and that's exactly what we did."

The RedHawks had a PAT blocked in the first quarter, a field goal blocked in the second quarter, then failed on a fake field goal in the third quarter.

"It was a play that should have worked," Miami head coach Michael Haywood said. "I would call it again."

That looked to be the difference after NIU took a 21-20 lead midway through the final period, then got the ball still leading with 3:47 to play looking to run out the clock. But the Huskies failed to do it.

"You got to go win the game," NIU head coach Jerry Kill said. "You can't just punt and run. This hurts, and it should hurt. Give them credit for making plays."

A quick three-play, 59-second drive by the Huskies put the ball back in Miami's hands where Boucher (29-of-46, 333 yards, 1 TD) found some late-game magic. After suffering a sack leading to a fourth-and-20 at his own 38, he scrambled on fourth down and launched a missile into a crowd of Huskies. The ball was tipped right into the hands of receiver Chris Givens for a first down.

"He was open so long, it seemed like the hour glass had expired," Haywood said. "Then it's tipped into his hands."

Moments later, facing a corner blitz from the left side, he hit Armand Robinson (14 receptions 176 yards, 1 TD), for the 33-yard game winner.

"They had a blown coverage," Haywood said. "Boucher sees it and does a great job of throwing the ball."

This capped a regular season when the RedHawks, who finished 1-11 last season, now stand at 9-4 with a bowl game, somewhere to be decided by Sunday.

The Huskies (10-3) saw a nine-game winning streak snapped, and will likely lose their national ranking by next week. But a bowl game is in their future as well.

The 12,031 fans expecting a blowout were treated to a shootout instead early on. By the end of the first quarter, the Huskies had a 14-13 lead as four straight possessions after an opening punt by NIU led to touchdowns, although Miami had its first PAT blocked.

The RedHawks did most of their damage on the ground behind tailback Thomas Merriweather who rushed for 81 yards and a TD in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, the Huskies used the passing arm of quarterback Chandler Harnish ( 4-of-7 for 129 yards), while also getting two receptions for 96 yards and two touchdowns covering 69 and 27 yards from sophomore receiver Martel Moore.