Jalen Buckley's two long touchdown runs lead Western Michigan to MAC Championship

DETROIT — Jalen Buckley had touchdown runs of 67 and 64 yards, and Western Michigan won the MAC Championship, defeating Miami of Ohio, 23-13, on Saturday.

Buckley’s 67-yard touchdown burst on the third play of the game gave the Broncos the early lead. Palmer Domschke added three field goals in the first half, the last from 50 yards, and the Broncos led 16-6 at halftime. Buckley’s 64-yard TD run made it 23-6 early in the third quarter.

In the regular-season matchup between the two, Miami scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, rallying to a 26-17 victory. This time, Western Michigan did not falter.

A couple of possessions after Miami closed to within 23-13 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Western Michigan drove to the 1-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. Facing a 10-point deficit and 99 yards to go in less than two minutes, the RedHawks only reached their own 16-yard line.

Buckley finished with 193 yards on 19 carries for the Broncos (9-4). His career high was 196 as a freshman against Toledo in 2023.

Broc Lowry had 111 yards passing and 65 yards rushing for the Broncos, who had 286 yards on the ground, 397 total.

Kam Perry had 101 receiving yards for Miami (7-6), and the RedHawks managed 272 yards of total offense.

Both teams will play in a bowl, Miami for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.

Among its five bowl alliances, the Mid-American Conference does not have a specific tie-in for its conference champion.