Sports
Ohio holds off late heroics from Kent State to get first MAC win
By: Seth Lee
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KENT, Ohio (WOUB) — The Ohio Bobcats (3-2) opened Mid-American Conference play in Kent, Ohio, facing the Golden Flashes (2-3) on their homecoming. The larger crowd would not be a factor, as the Bobcats would squeak past the Flashes 13-10.
Kent State elected to defer to start the game, and the Bobcats would establish their run game early. After four straight run plays spanning 24 yards, Rocco Nicholl explodes off the line for a major sack, forcing Ohio to punt. Kent State came into the game with ten sacks on the year, Nicholl accounting for two of them.
Wayne Harris put the Flashes on the 38-yard line after a solid return. The Ohio defense would produce a wall for two plays before Dru Deshields found Terik Mulder on a third down and six to give life to the Kent State offense. Mulder became Deshields’ top target on this drive before Mulder left the game after receiving a hit from DJ Walker on a 13-yard reception. However, after a penalty and a run play resulting in negative yards, the Flashes found themselves with a fourth and 27.
Caleb Chamberlain blocked the Kent State punt to give Ohio the ball in Golden Flash territory. Duncan Brune and Victor Rosa moved the ball down just outside the red zone; however, Dom Dorwart bobbled a deep ball in the end zone to send out the Ohio special teams. Will Hryszko drilled a 40-yard field goal to put Ohio on the board 3-0.
Kent State started their drive on their own 13 after De’Realyst Clark decided to take it out of the end zone and was met by Chamberlain. Clark made an impact on offense with a 19-yard reception and then an eight-yard reception to push the ball into Bobcat territory.
The first quarter ended with Kent State holding possession on the Bobcat’s 42-yard line with a third-and-nine down 3-0. Brune led the way for Ohio with 35 yards on five carries. De’Realyst Clark headlined the Golden Flash attack with 27 yards on two receptions.
Kent State drove the ball down the field with a run-pass option, utilizing both DeShields and Mason King on the ground, with an option to Clark or Hunter Hopperton. DeShields and Clark got off the same page, and after two incompletions and a short run, Sean Leonard trotted out for a chip-shot 21-yard field goal to tie the game at three.
Matt Vezza moved the ball in the air and on the ground on the Bobcats’ first drive of the quarter, accounting for 13 yards on the ground and 17 in the air. The drive would end abruptly on a fumble by tight end Riley Palmeter, recovered by the Flashes’ Trey Rubinstein.
The Flashes didn’t hold onto the ball for long, as Michael Molnar intercepted a DeShields pass to put Ohio on the Kent State 46-yard line after taking a 16-yard sack from Ike Akerman.
Matt Vezza left the game for a play after losing his helmet on a 20-yard fumble behind the line of scrimmage, recovered by Ohio. Levi Davis entered the game and rushed for 20 yards to push the line of scrimmage back to third and ten. Vezza reentered and carried it himself 35 yards into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game.
Kent State went on the back of De’Realyst Clark for most of its yards on the drive; however, a crucial fourth-and-one saw Derek Reagans jump offside to keep the Golden Flashes offense on the field. Kendall Bannister added to the Bobcats’ penalties when he was called for pass interference, moving Kent State to the 40-yard line. The Golden Flashes were pushed back to the 40-yard line after a false start call against the Flashes, and a Michael Molnar sack pushed the Flashes back to the 50. Jake Stoeckel punted the Bobcats back to their own seven-yard line.
The first half closed as Vezza knelt out the remaining clock. Ohio remained up by a touchdown, 10-3. Brune continued to headline the Bobcat attack with 53 yards on eight carries. De’Realyst Clark led the Golden Flashes with 52 yards on five receptions. Vezza was 4/8 for 38 yards passing and 26 yards rushing. DeShields ended the half 14 for 20 with 116 yards through the air and negative seven on the ground and an interception.
The Flashes would receive the second-half kickoff, and DeShields used the air, finding Hunter Hopperton on a 13-yard reception. Kendall Bannister intercepted the Flashes’ third play of the drive, placing Ohio on the fifty-yard line.
Victor Rosa started the Bobcats’ first drive of the half with a 12-yard carry. The Bobcats fell victim to the turnover plague as Matt Vezza fumbled away Ohio’s drive for the second turnover of the half less than five minutes in.
DeShields capitalized on the second chance by finding Ardell Banks for 47 yards across the field to put Kent State into the red zone. Ohio’s defense held up for a huge goal-line stand to keep the Golden Flashes out of the end zone for nine plays before a fourth-and-one saw Mason King finally punch it in to tie the game at ten.
Levi Davis entered the game for Ohio in their second drive of the third quarter. Brune and Davis attacked the ground, opening the drive with three straight runs for eighteen yards. Davis then hit the air when Jake Furtney hauled in a 16-yard reception before finding Dom Dorwart a few plays later for eleven yards. A holding call provided a stall to the Ohio offense; however, Davis carried it seventeen yards to create a third-and-short. Hryszko put the Bobcats back up top with a 44-yard field goal.
The third quarter ended 13-10 in favor of the Bobcats. Jack Fries led the Bobcats’ defensive efforts with seven tackles going into the final quarter. Hayden Dawahare bolstered the Kent State defense with five tackles.
Dru DeShields hit the air to start the fourth quarter as he found Wayne Harris for fifteen yards to push into Ohio territory. The Golden Flashes rode the momentum just outside the red zone. Fries staved off the Golden Flashes’ attack by blocking the forty-nine-yard field goal attempt.
Duncan Brune remained the workhorse of the Bobcat offense, rushing for seven and then ramming his way to a first down to convert a third-and-two before Ohio was forced to punt it away. Kent State assumes possession with just over six minutes remaining at their own 15.
Kendall Bannister shut down a lackluster offensive drive for Kent State, where the flashes went backwards three yards before Bannister broke up a deep ball to send out the special teams unit.
Ohio took over starting at their own 42 and six minutes to kill. Levi Davis and Duncan Brune headed the drive on their own, starting with a speed option where Brune shed three Golden Flash defenders to fight for ten yards and first down. A failed fourth-and-one gave Kent State the ball back with two and a half minutes left and 60 yards to win.
Barry Dillon knocked down a Dru DeShields third-down pass to force a critical fourth-and-five under two minutes. Ronald Jackson saved the Kent State drive by committing pass interference, and Dru DeShields would find De’Realyst Clark to get Kent State down to the twenty-two. Sean Leonard shanked the game-tying kick from 32 yards out, and Ohio knelt the game out.
Levi Davis ended the game 4/5 with 34 yards passing and 42 yards rushing. Duncan Brune led the rushing attack with 75 yards averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Michael Molnar led the Ohio defense with eight total tackles, two Tackles for loss, one sack, and an interception.
Dru DeShields ended 20/35 with 217 passing yards and 27 rushing yards. Brandon White led the rushing attack for Golden Flashes with 32 yards on an average of 3.6 yards per carry. De’Realyst Clark hauled in 68 yards on six receptions. Hayden Dawahare headlined the Kent State defense with seven tackles, one TFL and a QB hurry.
The Flashes fall to 1-1 in MAC play and will look to get back in the win column against Western Michigan in Kalamazoo. Ohio becomes 1-0 in MAC play and will return to Peden Stadium for homecoming on Oct. 10 for the Central Michigan Chippewas.