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Miami of Ohio runs past Marshall like it wasn't even there

Ben Roethlisberger passed for 282 yards and two touchdowns in a howling wind Wednesday night, leading No. 23 Miami of Ohio to a 45-6 victory that ended Marshall's dominance of the Mid-American Conference.

Playing with their first national ranking since 1976, the RedHawks (9-1, 6-0) got their ninth straight victory and their most meaningful one yet.

Marshall (6-4, 4-2) had won all six MAC East titles since the league split into two divisions in 1997. Miami's win clinched the title and a berth in the conference's championship game.

There were no clashes during a wind-blown game that had bitter undertones from last year, when quarterback Stan Hill's 1-yard run with 5 seconds left gave the Thundering Herd a 36-34 victory in Huntington, West Virginia.

Fans stormed the field and Miami defensive coordinator Jon Wauford was led away in handcuffs, accused of knocking down a fan. Wauford resigned after the season, and a charge of misdemeanor battery later was dropped. Linebackers coach Taver Johnson also was disciplined for damaging the visiting coaches' box at the end of the game.

Three security officers stood watch over Marshall coach Bob Pruett on the field Wednesday. Most of the crowd of 26,286 had left by game's end.
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