MiddletownJournal.com

OXFORD — If the Miami University football team does make it to the Mid-American Conference Championship Game — and now the RedHawks are just one step away — they'll owe a debt of gratitude to their defense.

Senior defensive end Craig Mester returned a fumble for a touchdown with 9 minutes, 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter to lead the RedHawks to a 7-0 victory over the Akron Zips on Wednesday night at Yager Stadium in a nationally televised game devoid of any meaningful offense.

"It's my only touchdown ever since I've been playing football," Mester said. "I couldn't have written a better script myself. ... I can't even think about it. I'm shocked right now."

The win gives the RedHawks (6-5, 4-1 MAC East) an opportunity to clinch a share of the division title and earn a date with Central Michigan on Dec. 1 in the MAC title contest in Detroit. All they need is a victory at Ohio on Nov. 24, or a Bowling Green win at Buffalo on Saturday.

A Miami victory at Ohio also would make the RedHawks bowl-eligible.

"They believe in what we've been doing," Miami head coach Shane Montgomery said of his players, who were 2-10 last season and 1-3 at one point this year. "They believe in each other, in our staff, that we're doing the right things, and they play for 60 minutes. ... We find a way to win."

It took a lot of searching Wednesday.

The RedHawks finally broke a scoreless deadlock on the 24th possession of the game, an Akron possession.

Carlton Jackson, who had just replaced Chris Jacquemain at quarterback for the Zips, was hit deep in his own territory by Miami junior linebacker Clayton Mullins. The ball squirted into the air and was caught at the Akron 7-yard line by Mester, who happily took the ball untouched into the end zone for his first collegiate TD.

"I told the guys in the locker room that this was a game last year we don't win," Montgomery said. "It wasn't pretty — it was pretty by the defense, it wasn't pretty by the offense."

The game was scoreless at halftime, a result of strong defense on both sides and a hapless red-zone showing by the RedHawks.

Actually, Miami didn't get past

midfield in the first half until quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh completed a

17-yard pass to tight end Jake O'Connell to the Akron 40 with 6:16 left in the second quarter. Two plays later, Raudabaugh was intercepted by Zips defensive back John Mackey.

The RedHawks' next possession was even more frustrating.

A 29-yard pass from Raudabaugh to Chris Givens was fumbled at the 15-yard line and recovered by Akron's Davanzo Tate. The ruled fumble was reversed upon review, but it didn't matter. Three plays later, with the ball on the Zips' 5-yard line, Mackey intercepted his second Raudabaugh pass after it had been tipped in the end zone by linebacker Brion Stokes.

Akron came up with another end-zone interception, this one by cornerback Reggie Corner early in the third period, after Miami had moved to the Zips' 32.

The futility continued in the fourth quarter when Miami's Thomas Merriweather lost a fumble at the RedHawks' 38, but four plays later, Jacquemain — who obviously hadn't been paying attention — put the ball up for grabs in the end zone, and it was intercepted by sophomore cornerback Jeff Thompson.

The loss dropped Akron to 4-7 overall, 2-4 in the MAC East.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.