Sports
Ohio University Football wins a gritty game at Eastern Michigan, improving to 3-1 in MAC play
By: Andrew Bowlby
Posted on:
YPSILANTI, Mich. (WOUB) – Ohio University Football (5-3, 3-1 MAC) entered Saturday’s game at Eastern Michigan (2-7, 1-4 MAC) winless on the road this season. After trailing at halftime it looked like Ohio would fall to 0-4 on the road, but the Bobcats delivered a big second half leading to a 28-21 win.
Eastern Michigan had the game’s first possession and wasted no time getting the score going. Eagles’ quarterback Noah Kim got the ball down the field quickly and EMU struck on a 38-yard passing score from Kim to Nick Devereaux.
Ohio’s offense took the field, and after a short kick return didn’t have great field position. That didn’t matter as Bobcats QB Parker Navarro answered quickly. After rushing for nine yards setting Ohio up inside the EMU 30, he recorded a 28-yard passing TD to Chase Hendricks.
EMU would make it a hat trick of fast touchdowns by the two teams. On the Eagles second drive of the game, Kim found Mekhi Fox for a 51-yard gain to move the ball deep into Ohio territory. A few plays later and Kim scored using his legs from three yards out putting EMU ahead 14-7.
After three drives and three scores between the two, things slowed down for the remainder of the first half.
On Ohio’s ensuing drive the Bobcats stalled and were forced to punt. That punt by Magnus Haines went 68 yards and was downed at the Eastern Michigan. It was the longest punt by Ohio since the 2016 season when Michael Farkas punted a ball 72 yards against Bowling Green.
Ohio’s defense got their first stop of the game with Tank Pearson getting a pass breakup and Anas Luqman creating pressure on Kim forcing an EMU punt.
The Bobcats next drive feature a lot of Hendricks. The drive got started with a 22-yard completion to Hendricks. That was followed by passing plays of 11 and 13 yards. It set Ohio up with a fourth-and-2 on the Eastern Michigan 15-yard line.
Navarro ran a keeper to the right side of the offensive line and was ruled to get the first down on the field. However, after review he was marked short and the Bobcats turned the ball over on downs.
“I’m fairly aggress on fourth down as it is, I do like using analytics which gives me a heads up on what some recommendations are,” head coach Brian Smith said on his fourth down play calling. “And we’re not kicking it well enough when it comes to field goals. So, right now I am going to put more of my money on Parker, Chase, Sieh, Mason and our O-Line to convert.”
The Bobcats got a final chance to score before halftime, and they were close to converting.
Navarro completed a 39-yard pass to Rodney Harris in the back of the end zone looking like Ohio would tie the game at halftime, however, the Bobcats were flagged for an ineligible man downfield brining the play back.
There were then a pair of untimed downs and the half ultimately ended on Navarro’s second INT of the day and Eastern Michigan ahead 14-7.
There’s no doubt Ohio was starting to feel déjà vu from the Ball State game as they trailed on the road and were struggling to score. But things started to turn in the second half.
The Bobcats moved the ball inside EMU’s territory with a couple of big passes, one of which went to Caleb Gossett for 35 yards. Although Ohio ultimately settled for a punt on that drive, it was a sign of what was coming.
On Eastern Michigan’s first drive of the second half, they had a third-and-6 and attempted a screen but it was blown up by Jalen Thomeson.
The stop led by Thomeson got Ohio going. The Bobcats moved the ball down the field and capped the drive with a Navarro rushing that was ruled a TD on the field but overturned in review. Sieh Bangura punched the ball in on the next play to tie the game at 14.
Ohio then began to put the game away. Harris caught a 49-yard pass to start the drive, and Hendricks hauled in his second TD of the game to end the drive giving Ohio their first lead of the day.
That momentum continued to carry for the rest of the fourth with Bangura adding a late score punctuating a big second half and lifting Ohio to a 28-21 victory.
Ohio’s defense was complimentary in the second half shutting down an EMU offense that got off to a quick start. Aside from a late score that didn’t really impact the game, Ohio didn’t concede any points and limited EMU to 173 total yards and 58 rushing yards.
“The offense just kept grinding throughout the game and rally played Ohio football,” Smith said. “The message to the team was really how proud we are across the board, and obviously that we’re focusing now on the Battle of the Bricks.”
Ohio will be in action on Nov. 3 against its rival Miami at Peden Stadium in a MACtion matchup.