Gotkowski throws 3 TD passes, leads Miami (Ohio) to MAC title game with 45-24 win over Ball State

By Canadian Press on November 29, 2025.

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) — Thomas Gotkowski threw three touchdown passes, Braylon Isom caught two of them, and Miami (Ohio) beat Ball State 45-24 in a regular-season finale to clinch a trip to the Mid-American championship game for the third consecutive season.

Gotkowski found Isom for a 23-yard score at the 9:07 mark of the first quarter, and a 10-yard strike less than three minutes later. The RedHawks never trailed, and led from that point on. It’s the fifth consecutive win for the RedHawks over the Cardinals.

The RedHawks finished the regular season 7-5 and 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference, and will face Western Michigan (8-4, 7-1) in the MAC title game, despite Ohio and Toledo also holding 6-2 conference records. Miami owns a tiebreaker between common opponents.

Gotkowski’s long came on a 55-yard touchdown to Kam Perry. He was 12-of-24 passing for 226 yards, with 44 yards on the ground.

Jordan Brunson (54 rushing yards) and D’Shawntae Jones (47 rushing yards) both had rushing touchdowns, and led a RedHawks offense that combined for 234 rushing yards.

Kiael Kelly was 14 of 23 for 177 yards with a pair of passing touchdowns for the Cardinals (4-8, 3-5). He added a game-high 61 yards on 11 attempts.

The Cardinals allowed six sacks, and allowed a score on a fumble recovery return by Jermaine Agee with 2:11 left in the game. They entered the game with the second-most sacks allowed out of 136 teams in FBS football and finished with 49 allowed.

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The Associated Press