| Game Name: | MAC Football Championship Game |
| Subheader: | Conference championship |
| Date Game Played: | December 2 |
| Year Game Played: | 2023 |
| Football Season: | 2023 |
| City: | Detroit, Michigan |
| Home School: | University of Toledo |
| Home Name Short: | Toledo |
| Home Nickname: | Rockets |
| Home Record: | 11–1 |
| Home Rank Ap: | 23 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | NR |
| Home Rank Cfp: | NR |
| Home Coach: | Jason Candle |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 8 |
| Home 3Q: | 6 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Visitor School: | Miami University |
| Visitor Name Short: | Miami |
| Visitor Nickname: | RedHawks |
| Visitor Record: | 10–2 |
| Visitor Coach: | Chuck Martin |
| Visitor 1Q: | 10 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 10 |
| Mvp: | Offense: Aveon Smith (QB, Miami) Defense: Matt Salopek (LB, Miami) Special Teams: Graham Nicholson (K, Miami) |
| Odds: | Toledo by 8 |
| Referee: | David Siegle |
| Attendance: | 20,200 |
| Us Network: | ESPN |
| Us Announcers: | Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline) |
| Different Previous: | 2022 |
The 2023 MAC Football Championship Game was a college football conference championship game played on December 2, 2023, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. It was the 27th edition of the MAC Football Championship Game and determined the champion of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for the 2023 season. The game began at 12:00 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN.[1] The game featured the Western Division champion Toledo Rockets against the Eastern Division champion Miami RedHawks. Miami won their first MAC Championship since 2019 with a 23–14 upset victory.[2]
The 2023 MAC title game was held at Ford Field for the 20th consecutive season.[3] [4] The venue, located in downtown Detroit at 2000 Brush St., is the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) and has a seating capacity for football of 65,000.[5]
The game featured the Toledo Rockets, champions of the Western Division, against the Miami RedHawks, champions of the Eastern Division.
See main article: 2023 Toledo Rockets football team. Toledo clinched a berth in the championship game following their win over Eastern Michigan on November 8.[6]
See main article: 2023 Miami RedHawks football team. Miami clinched a berth in the championship game following their win over Buffalo on November 16.[7]
| Statistics | Miami | Toledo |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 14 | 17 |
| Plays–Yards | 59–306 | 65–370 |
| Rushes/yards | 43–197 | 29–97 |
| Passing yards | 109 | 273 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 6–16–0 | 18–36–1 |
| Time of possession | 34:03 | 25:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | Passing | Aveon Smith | 6/16, 109 yards |
| Rushing | Aveon Smith | 21 carries, 99 yards | |
| Receiving | Luke Bolden | 1 reception, 40 yards | |
| Toledo | Passing | 18/36, 273 yards, TD, INT | |
| Rushing | 11 carries, 41 yards | ||
| Receiving | Junior Vandeross III | 6 receptions, 106 yards |