Sports
Ohio State’s strong second half pushes the Buckeyes past Ohio University Football
By: Evan Johnson
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOUB) – The Ohio University Football (1-2) team fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) at the Ohio Stadium on Saturday night 37-9. The Bobcats trailed by four points early in the second half, but the Buckeyes pulled away with a strong second-half.
A week removed from a big win against West Virginia in front of the largest crowd in Peden Stadium history, Ohio had another tall task in front of them: the top-ranked team in the country, Ohio State.
Ohio is one of only two teams in the country to start their season with three games against Power Four teams.
“What our guys have been through in these first three games, and the way they’ve played in these first three games, you know, makes us extremely proud,” Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. “How hard they play and how well we’ve executed at times against a lot of really good opponents.”
The Buckeyes were playing their third straight home game of the season, after defeating the previous top team in the country, Texas. They followed that with a dominating win over FCS opponent Grambling State, winning 70-0.
The Bobcat defense stepped up, as Anas Luqman tripped up Sayin on fourth and four to force the turnover on downs and hold OSU off the board.
On offense, Ohio struggled to move the ball and was forced to punt.
The Buckeyes slowly made their way down the field. After coming up short on third down, Jayden Fielding chipped in the 38-yard kick for the first points of the game.
Ohio State soon found themselves back in the red zone and on the two-yard line. Sayin lobbed a goal-line fade to Smith, but Tank Pearson played the ball perfectly, knocking it away and forcing the Buckeyes to another field goal, making the score 6-0.
Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro was taken out of the game after taking a hit, and Nick Poulos took over.
Even without their starter, the Bobcats were aggressive on their next drive, converting a fourth and two on the Ohio 34-yard line, but punted just three plays later.
With six minutes remaining in the first half, Ohio had only gained 30 yards while the Buckeyes had 205 yards.
The first touchdown of the game came late in the second quarter. Julian Sayin scrambled out of the backfield and had to improvise, finding Max Klare for a 16-yard passing touchdown and putting the Buckeyes up 13-0.
The Bobcat offense was out of sync; a mix of penalties and sacks sent them back to fourth and 26. This gave Ohio State a chance to score in the two-minute drill.
Ohio caught a break, as the pass to Klare was tipped up into the air by Cam Hollobaugh and intercepted by Michael Mack II.
Parker Navarro returned to action and made his presence felt right away. He connected with Ohio leading receiver Chase Hendricks, who made a tough contested catch and sprinted across the field for a 67-yard touchdown.
The PAT was knocked off the left upright, making the score 13-9 in the Buckeyes’ favor.
Ohio State responded with its own big play, as freshman Bo Jackson ran through the heart of the defense for 64 yards.
The Ohio third down defense was ranked fourth in the country coming into the game, and they proved why. Getting another stop in the red zone, forcing the third field goal of the game for Fielding. This time from 22 yards, making it a seven-point difference, 16-9.
“I thought our defense played extremely well. I think they played hard, I think they tackled really well; there’s a lot of good things that they did” Brian Smith said.
The Buckeyes regained possession, and Julian Sayin showed off his arm, throwing a perfect ball to Jeremiah Smith for a 47-yard touchdown. With six minutes left, Ohio State had a two-score lead, 23-9.
“Yeah before we got on the field, me and Coach Day called it. He was like, ‘We gonna call this play and you gotta go get it.’ So, I already knew the ball was coming to me. I just had to go and make a play,” Jeremiah Smith said on the deep ball touchdown.
The struggles on offense continued for the Bobcats, failing to convert a fourth down and giving the ball back to OSU.
Jeremiah Smith added to his stellar performance, picking up a 17-yard rushing touchdown. He ended the game with nine receptions, 170 total yards and two total touchdowns.
Ohio kept trying to force the run but could never break through the Buckeyes’ D-line, only getting 68 total rushing yards in the game, on 34 attempts.
Ohio State went go on to win 37-9, extending its record against Ohio to 7-0.
Brian Smith talked about the game experience saying “I think all these experiences are good experiences, and I think a lot of our guys are disappointed in the outcome of the game, but I think that they do see our true potential as a team. I think it’s great for our confidence moving forward, just them understanding how well they’re playing against good teams and how close they are to wins.”
The Bobcats will face FCS opponent Gardner-Webb on Sept. 20.
The Buckeyes will get a week of rest as they prepare to travel to Seattle to play their first conference game at Washington on Sept. 27.