BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (Ticker) -- At home or on the road, Miami Ohio's offense remains unstoppable.
Ben Roethlisberger passed for 440 yards and four touchdowns to four different receivers as the 15th-ranked RedHawks routed No. 23 Bowling Green, 49-27, in the Mid-American Conference championship game.
Bowling Green was looking to avenge a 33-10 loss at Miami Ohio on November 4, but Roethlisberger quieted the crowd at Doyt Perry Stadium, completing 26-of-35 passes to go over the 4,000-yard mark for the season.
"Coming in, we knew they were going to try something different on defense," Roethlisberger said. "I'm proof that the offensive line did a great job. I still have a white jersey."
Miami (12-1) reached 12 wins for the first time in school history and headed to the GMAC Bowl, stretched its winning streak to 12 games, one shy of the mark set from 1972-74. Since a season-opening 21-3 loss at Iowa, the RedHawks are averaging just under 46 points per game.
The 6-5, 240-pound Roethlisberger, who has been projected as a first-round pick in next year's NFL draft if he opts not to return for his senior season, led Miami to touchdowns on its first four possessions of the second half.
"This was a storybook season," Miami coach Terry Hoeppner said. "From the week we had after Iowa to right now, this team has been spectacular. It wasn't that we were winning, but the way we were winning."
Shaun Suisham kicked a 42-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to pull Bowling Green (10-3) within 21-17, but Miami converted three turnovers into three touchdowns in the third quarter to turn the game into a rout.
Despite the loss, Bowling Green - which defeated Purdue and lost to Ohio State by only seven points - accepted a bid to the Motor City Bowl.
"We were embarrassed in the second half of this football game, and that's the last thing we are going to remember before the bowl game,' Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon said.
Josh Harris, who completed 30-of-49 passes for 260 yards and two TDs, tried to keep Bowling Green in it early. He scored on a six-yard keeper and tossed a seven-yard touchdown pass to give the Falcons a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
But Roethlisberger answered with TD passes of 21 yards to Matt Brandt and 16 yards to Michael Larkin in a four-minute span to put the RedHawks ahead for good.
"(Roethlisberger) is the best player in this league," Harris said. "They haven't lost in 12, 13 weeks, and he is a big reason why."
Heading to its first bowl since 1986, Miami became the first road team to win in the seven-year history of the MAC title game and claimed a record 14th conference championship.
