DaytonDailyNews.com

OXFORD — Clayton Mullins came close, not once but twice, to coming up empty on what could turn out to be the play of the year for Miami University's football team.

If Mullins had been a little faster when the play started, or if he had been a little slower midway through the play, Craig Mester never would have scored the touchdown against Akron which propelled the RedHawks to a share of the Mid-American Conference East Division title.

Mullins, Miami's junior outside linebacker from Fairborn High School, stripped the ball from Akron quarterback Carlton Jackson and it popped gently into the arms of Mester, the RedHawks' senior defensive end who returned the fumble 7 yards for the only touchdown in last week's 7-0 victory over Akron.

As a result of that win, Miami clinched not only a piece of the title, but also a berth in next week's MAC Championship Game.

The play took place with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Jackson had just replaced Chris Jacquemin as Akron's quarterback, and things weren't improving for the Zips.

After a 55-yard punt by Miami's Jake Richardson to the Akron 23, the Zips promptly began moving in the wrong direction. Martin Channels caught running back Bryan Williams for a 2-yard loss, after which Mullins stopped Jackson for a 1-yard loss.

On third-and-13 from the Zips' 20-yard line, Jackson was getting desperate. He took the ball and swung back to his left, trying to make something happen.

Mullins said he was very close to being off-sides on the play. Later, he even went back to watch a tape. He wanted to know. The slow-motion replay shows that he did not beat the snap, so his conscience is clear.

Had Mullins been just a fraction quicker, a penalty might have negated the touchdown.

"The running back got a piece of me trying to pick me up on the block," Mullins recalled, "and it threw me off a step and the quarterback almost got away. But I got a piece of his jersey and was able to pull him back to me."

The rest will live on in Miami history.

"It was kind of surreal," he said. "I didn't know what to think after it had happened.

"Being a defensive player, it's great knowing that the only points in the game were scored by the defense," Mullins added, "and that since we shut them out, it was the ultimate defensive win."

Mullins was named MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week. He also is tied for second in the league in total tackles and is tied for sixth in tackles for loss.

Obviously, he is a strong candidate for the All-MAC team, as are the RedHawks' other starting linebackers, Joey Hudson and Caleb Bostic.

But Mullins said he is not concerned with what happens after the season, or even next week.

"We're not even talking about the championship game," he said. "We've got to beat OU. We want to win the (East) championship outright. We don't want to share it with anybody."

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.