YPSILANTI, Mich. — Bradd Ellis had been thrown at all afternoon.
Relentlessly picked on with deep routes against him in the first half, Ellis didn't let a big play happen against him. He made one of his own.
With just seconds left in the first half, the senior cornerback jumped an out route and flew down the gray turf at Rynearson Stadium for a 46-yard touchdown. In a matter of seconds, Ellis gave Ohio its only touchdown of regulation.
Ohio led 10-6 after the touchdown, which was what it needed to push Eastern Michigan to overtime, en route to a 27-20 win.
“For me personally, it’s one of my favorite feelings I’ve ever had, especially as an athlete," Ellis said. "To return the favor to the quarterback that’s trying to do it to you all game, let everybody know it’s his fault — that’s a good feeling.”
The Bobcats went to overtime tied at 13 on the back of Ellis' interception. Without that pick six, there might not have been a win — Ohio's first in the Mid-American Conference — to celebrate.
"I think that lifted not only Bradd, but it lifted all of our secondary in saying, ‘Hey, we got hurt by this guy last year. It doesn’t have to be this way again,’” coach Frank Solich said.
Eastern Michigan quarterback Brogran Roback threw for 347 yards last year in an Eagles win. He only threw for 271 yards through two overtimes this year, but his most costly statistic was that interception.
Ellis was waiting for it.
Solich, among others, said during the week Eastern Michigan liked to run back-shoulder throws. And Ellis had a hunch that he'd be the victim at first.
“I had a feeling they were going to," Ellis said. "That quarterback has a heck of an arm. He’s a heck of a quarterback; he’s going to do great things in the MAC. How he likes to throw the ball and what he likes to do, I knew the film I had put to watch was going to attract him to wanting to throw back-shoulders.”
Those back-shoulder throws were what Ellis and Jalen Fox were waiting on all day at the corner spot. Ellis got his touchdown, and Fox nearly had one late in the fourth quarter.
“They were under a great deal of pressure," Solich said. "Last year, this group hurt us with back-shoulder throws. Those guys knew they were going to play a critical role in this win. They stepped up, rose to the occasion.”
Ellis' interception was the biggest play of a regulation that was a defensive struggle. In a battle for points, the deciding play came in the hands of a defensive back who hadn't had a pick six since high school.
Technically, the game was decided in overtime when Ohio's defense held Eastern Michigan on 4th down when Roback threw towards Ellis on the final play — the pass fell incomplete.
“It was a great feeling," Ellis said of his touchdown. "To get that feeling again, there’s nothing like it.”
