MAC play is in full swing. That can only mean one thing. The Miami RedHawks are locked in.
Miami (OH) qualified for consecutive MAC Championships, making a name for themselves for handling their conference peers. That trend sustained Saturday at InfoCision Stadium as the RedHawks comfortably bested Akron in a 20-7 result. With the road victory, Miami can now claim victories in 18 of its last 20 regular season MAC matchups.
Miami won its eighth consecutive matchup over Akron dating back to 2017, and
the RedHawks’ defense usually is the driving force in these victories. The final scores of the prior two meetings were 27-9 and 19-0 and Saturday’s matchup followed this narrative. The RedHawks completely shut out the Zips until Ben Finley hit Israel Polk for a touchdown with 4:41 remaining, which prevented Akron from suffering its third shutout of 2025.
Miami’s assertive defense set the tone on the first series of the game. Akron faced a third down from the 11-yard line, and Finley’s pass toward the end zone was deflected by reigning All-MAC safety Eli Blakey, who logged a team-high three pass breakups. Defensive end Adam Trick faked his rush to drop back in coverage, and the ball ricocheted into the hands of Miami’s top pass rusher. Trick recorded seven tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack in an all-around standout performance.
The Zips’ offense was subject to frequent three-and-outs and other drive-enders — such as missed field goals and fourth down failures — until their final possession. Miami similarly struggled to move the ball but the RedHawks finally broke the 0-0 scoreless drought with 1:33 remaining in the second quarter. The often-reliable Dom Dzioban sunk a 41-yard field goal to hand Miami a 3-0 advantage heading into break.
Miami’s offense just needed to see points on the scoreboard in order to thrive. Quarterback Dequan Finn — in his second start back from injury — began dropping dimes in the third quarter, primarily involving wide receiver Keith Reynolds. Running back D’Shawntae Jones, seeing expanded playing time for the injured Kenny Tracy, punched in the RedHawks’ first touchdown to make it 10-0. Then the explosive occurred on the following possession. Finn launched a beauty to his deep threat Kam Perry, who gained nearly five yards of separation on a crisp go route. Perry snagged his fourth 50+ yard reception of the season, and he currently averages 29.7 yards per reception on 17 catches — the most among players with at least five catches.
Dzioban later drilled a 46-yard field goal for insurance, continuing Miami’s recent track record of kicking excellence. His field goal marked a 45-0 run for the RedHawks against MAC opponents, after they ended the previous game at Northern Illinois with 25-straight points.
Head coach Chuck Martin already led an incredible 2024 turnaround, flipping Miami from an 0-3 start to a 9-5 finish, and a similar trajectory is now felt in 2025. The RedHawks are .500 now ride a 3-game win streak after dropping their first three, and they look to sustain the October excellence next Saturday against Eastern Michigan in Oxford, OH. They remain unbeaten at 2-0 in MAC play, off to a perfect start for a third-straight conference championship appearance.
Meanwhile, Akron is now 2-5, unable to capitalize on Week 6’s exciting win over Central Michigan. The Zips are ineligible for bowl purposes due to academic requirements, but they still remain in search of their winningest season of the 2020s — currently two wins away from tying that mark. After falling to Miami for the eighth-straight meeting, the Zips look for a rebound at Ball State next weekend.
