Miami, Ohio holds off CMU 26-21 in MAC title game

DETROIT -- As long as Miami of Ohio kept the game close, coach Chuck Martin could feel reasonably confident. "I told the kids at halftime, down 14-10, I said, `It feels kind of at home guys," Martin said. "`Kind of a little bit ugly, make a couple plays here and there. They probably feel like they should be up by more, but they're not up by more." Brett Gabbert threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jack Sorenson early in the third quarter, and Miami controlled most of the second half, beating Central Michigan 26-21 in the Mid-American Conference title game Saturday. The RedHawks won a record 16th MAC championship despite doing little on offense in the first half. Trailing 14-10 after two quarters, Miami took the lead on Gabbert's screen pass to Sorenson, and the RedHawks (8-5) held off CMU (8-5) the rest of the way to win their first conference title since 2010.