By John Erardi
The Cincinnati Enquirer

It's the performance rather than the stage that matters in an athletic contest. But everything else being equal, Miami would rather be playing somewhere else than at Bowling Green tonight in the Mid-American Conference championship game (7 p.m. ESPN2)."We sat down (together) and watched the (Bowling Green vs. Toledo game last Saturday) and we were hoping we would not be playing Bowling Green - because of their field," said Miami quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who Wednesday was named the MAC's Player of the Year.

Bowling Green plays on a natural grass field, which means it is susceptible to becoming muddy and difficult to navigate.

"You could see that the muddy field was slowing both teams down in that game," Roethlisberger said. "But we've been able to adapt (to the elements this season). We had the altitude at Colorado State and the wind when we played Marshall, so this is just another case of having (to overcome) the elements."

When Bowling Green's first-year coach, Gregg Brandon, opened his teleconference this week by saying, "we're Western Division champions and we're happier than pigs in slop," he meant that literally. Well, at least the "slop" part, because the field was indeed slop for Saturday's game.

No. 14 Miami (11-1, 8-0 MAC) already has wrapped up a bid to the Dec. 18 GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., but wants terribly to run the table with a 13-game winning streak after a season-opening loss at Iowa.

Bowling Green is more desperate, however. Despite their No. 20 ranking, the Falcons haven't secured a bowl berth. A victory tonight would guarantee the Falcons a spot in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit. A loss would not necessarily keep them out, but given Bowling Green's recent history, there's a reason for paranoia.

The Falcons have won 27 games in the past three years but have no bowl appearances to show for it. The Falcons' last bowl appearance was in 1992.

The RedHawks and Falcons met four weeks ago in Oxford, also on national TV. Miami won 33-10 in a turnover-plagued game that was more the result of hard hitting than sloppy ballhandling.

The Falcons contend they didn't play their best game.

"We turned it over, gave them the short field, and we couldn't score in the red zone," Brandon said.

Likewise, the 33-10 win wasn't Miami's best performance, Roethlisberger said.

"They didn't see our best game, either," Roethlisberger said. "We had two turnovers in the red zone. We're going to have to attack early (tonight). We scored first (last time), but we didn't score (a lot) early like we normally do."

Miami was up only 10-7 at half but outscored the Falcons 23-3 in the second half. Bowling Green quarterback Josh Harris didn't have a good game, but he credited Miami's defense. Brandon said he believes Harris will play better.

"We didn't protect Josh (in Oxford)," Brandon said. "Miami has a fast defense. If you don't block them, they'll get in and pressure you. We had some guys open, but Miami did a good job mixing things up. Josh missed some open guys."

Roethlisberger ranks sixth nationally in total offense (314.7 yards a game) and eighth in pass efficiency. The RedHawks have the fifth-highest scoring offense (42 points a game) in the country.

"It's hard to beat a team twice in the same season," Roethlisberger said. "The second time, they want revenge. On top of that, they haven't lost at their place this year. But we feel we have as much riding on this game as they do. It's for the championship."

Miami last won the MAC title in 1986, Bowling Green in 1992.

E-mail jerardi@enquirer.com