The Ohio football team took a shot at knocking off Pittsburgh, a BCS opponent, Saturday, but came up short in the upset bid, 24-3. The game was closer, though, than the final score indicated.
The Bobcats outgained the Panthers, 290 yards to 217, and held Pittsburgh to 49 passing yards. However, the Bobcats missed numerous opportunities throughout the game while Pittsburgh made the big plays to win.
A blocked punt and an interception return led to Pittsburgh's first two touchdowns. With the score tied 3-3 late in the second quarter, Pittsburgh blocked Ohio's punt and returned it to the Bobcat 2-yard line. From there, Pittsburgh running back Tim Murphy ran the ball twice to go ahead 10-3.
The score remained 10-3 into the third quarter, but Malcolm Postell stepped in front of a Ryan Hawk pass in the flats and took it 42 yards for a touchdown to go up 17-3.
If you could write a script
blocking a punt returning an interception for a touchdown that would be in our equation for winning
not theirs
Ohio coach Brian Knorr said.
Ohio lost the turnover battle, 3-1. Ohio threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, while the Panthers' only turnover was an interception by Ohio cornerback T.J. Wright.
Ohio gained only 24 yards on 12 plays during the first quarter, though the Bobcats started moving the ball during the second quarter. Ohio drove deep into Panther territory twice during the frame but could only get three points out of the two trips.
Brooks Rossman missed a 42-yard field goal early and made a 27-yard try, the first of his career, in the quarter.
The Bobcats showed more diverse play calling this week. One of the changes was Hawk running the ball on designed runs and draw plays. Hawk ended the game as the team's leading rusher, gaining 57 yards on 11 carries.
When we spread them out
they had big openings in the middle
Hawk said.
Ohio wasted a big play in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Dennis Chukwuemeka scooped up a Pittsburgh punt and returned it nearly 80 yards for a touchdown. A block in the back wiped out the touchdown, however, and Ohio never seriously threatened to score the rest of the game.
The bright spot for Ohio was its defense, which only gave up 129 yards through three quarters and kept Ohio in the game until a late fourth-quarter Pittsburgh touchdown.
Receiver Chris Jackson had a career-high seven receptions and led the team with 70 yards receiving. Jackson said it was frustrating to not get into the end zone all night.
We need to play better as a team
come together
he said. We didn't do that tonight.
Hawk was pulled from the game in the fourth quarter. Knorr said that Hawk had been hit a lot and he wanted backup quarterback Austen Everson to get a shot in the game.
Hawk said the offense was to blame for the loss.
It's a very bad and frustrating feeling when you get the chances that we got from our defense and you didn't capitalize on them
Hawk said. It's on us
and that's what we have to work on this next week.
