Payne said. I wasn't letting the ball go. I couldn't believe it.
With 10:49 remaining in the third quarter, Melvin Payne broke through the line and blocked the punt. He went on to recover the ball in the end zone for the game's first touchdown.
Payne's touchdown was Ohio's first touchdown of the game and gave the Bobcats a 10-0 lead.
I went out there and tried to make a play for my team and I felt like we really needed it
he said. I just seen it and made a play.
Akron coach J.D. Brookhart called the play gut-wrenching.
His play changed the momentum of the game, but it shouldn't have come to that.
The Bobcat offense was unable to capitalize on turnovers the entire game. Ohio's defense forced five turnovers, but Ohio scored only seven points of those turnovers. Melvin Payne had never done this before, not in high school, not in junior high, not even in Pop Warner.
The linebacker had never scored a touchdown, so when he scored Saturday, he didn't know what to do next.
I was holding onto the ball and my teammates were trying to get me up off the ground Payne said. I wasn't letting the ball go. I couldn't believe it.
With 10:49 remaining in the third quarter, Melvin Payne broke through the line and blocked the punt. He went on to recover the ball in the end zone for the game's first touchdown.
Payne's touchdown was Ohio's first touchdown of the game and gave the Bobcats a 10-0 lead.
I went out there and tried to make a play for my team and I felt like we really needed it
he said. I just seen it and made a play.
Akron coach J.D. Brookhart called the play gut-wrenching.
His play changed the momentum of the game, but it shouldn't have come to that in this 19-7 win for Ohio.
The Bobcat offense was unable to capitalize on turnovers the entire game. Ohio's defense forced five turnovers, but Ohio scored only seven points of those turnovers.
This was especially apparent in the first half. The defense forced two fumbles and grabbed two interceptions, but the offense wasn't able to score off a single one.
The Bobcats weren't happy with their turnover performance in the previous weeks. Ohio changed against the Zips.
That was the whole ideal for us to come out today and make a difference on our side and with what we can control
safety Patrick Tafua said.
Getting those turnovers
it's a great time.
Ohio squandered good field position inside Akron territory early in the game. On their second drive, Ohio started at the Akron 41 yard-line. The Bobcats drove to the Zips' 17 yard line before Scott threw an interception in the end zone.
Also, following a Steven Jackson interception that occurred two plays later, the Bobcats actually lost two yards before being forced to punt.
We had a couple of penalties in the first half
wide receiver Terrance McCrae said. We were just pretty much shooting ourselves in the foot. I think it was just more of mental errors upon ourselves
things that we can control.
One of the turnovers helped Ohio escape the first half with a lead, 3-0.
After Akron got the ball with 2:34 remaining in the half, Matt Rodgers fumbled the ball into the end zone. Safety Patrick Tafua recovered it with 35 seconds remaining to keep Akron off the board.
Rodgers injured his left knee on the play and didn't return.
You got to make plays when it counts
Tafua said, and I make it count.
Ohio didn't score its first offense touchdown until the fourth quarter. Theo Scott threw a seven yard pass to Terrance McCrae in the end zone with 10:56 remaining in the fourth quarter.
It goes both ways, McCrae said. I couldn't have did it without him, he couldn't have did it without me.
This followed a botched kick return by Akron's Dashan Miller with 14:04 remaining in the game. The ball bounced off Miller's knee and Gerald Moore managed to grab it.
mw102906@ohiou.edu
,",2,Sports,Matt Wagner,",",",",",","
29396,2009-10-10 13:26:00,BREAKING: OU confirms bacterial meningitis,An Ohio University freshman in James Hall on West Green has been hospitalized with a confirmed case of bacterial meningitis.
Charlie Wulf
a first year student who lives in James Hall on West Green
was taken to a Columbus hospital yesterday and is in stable condition.
Wulf's roommates were taken to O'Bleness Memorial hospital to receive a preventative antibiotic. A doctor from Student Health Services met with James Hall residents this morning
