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Football: Ohio runs its way to a convincing win over Ball State

MUNCIE, Indiana —  De’Montre Tuggle wouldn’t have believed it.

If someone told him that he’d lead Ohio running backs and wide receivers in touchdowns by the end of October, he would have said there was no chance. He didn’t think that was possible just one year removed from playing junior college football in rural Texas. 

“I probably wouldn’t have believed you,“ Tuggle said with a laugh. “I don’t go into a game with expectations. I just go and try to play my game.”

That plan worked for Tuggle during Ohio’s 34-21 win over Ball State on a rain-filled Saturday afternoon at Schuemann Stadium. He is now ranked second on the Bobcats to quarterback Nathan Rourke with eight total touchdowns after he reached the end zone twice against the Cardinals.

Tuggle’s midseason feat, however, is a compliment to the rest of Ohio’s running backs group, which has been efficient no matter who’s in the game.

On Saturday, it was Tuggle’s turn to bolster Ohio. He only totaled 50 yards on 14 attempts, but his two touchdowns — an 11-yard touchdown run and a 1-yard score — were crucial for the Bobcats.

Next game, that workload could belong to Julian Ross, who sat out with an injury Saturday but has been primarily used as the feature back when healthy. Or it could be O’Shaan Allison, who didn’t record a touchdown against Ball State but still carried the Bobcats with 104 yards on 18 carries. He leads the Bobcats with 94 carries this season.

It could even go to Ja’Vahri Portis, who had five carries for 36 yards on one drive late in the fourth quarter and has shown explosiveness in five games this season.

To offensive coordinator Tim Albin, it doesn’t matter who lines up. He’s confident the production will always be there.

“I tell my guys all the time: man down, next man up,“ he said. “I don’t care who is in there. They’re expected to get the job done.”

That is what happened on Saturday. The monsoon-like conditions meant that Ohio needed to rely on its running backs even more, which was a tall task against Ball State’s rushing defense, ranked fourth in the MAC.

Yet the Bobcats still rushed for a season-high 316 yards and practically ran their offense around three running plays — the speed option, read option and inside power run — in the fourth quarter.

Tuggle and Allison carried the bulk of that, but neither of the players was the leading rusher. That label belonged to Rourke, who ran 18 times for 127 yards and scored two touchdowns.

That has become typical from the senior quarterback but only because the opposing defense has to worry about stopping whatever running back the Bobcats decide to use that day.

“When we run the ball the way that we do, it opens up so many things,“ Rourke said.

Saturday’s win makes the Bobcats an even more appealing option for the MAC Championship. They still have to win the MAC East Division and can take a large stride toward doing that with a win Nov. 6 against Miami, who has the sixth-best rushing defense in the conference and has allowed 184 rushing yards per game.

Ohio, however, has averaged over five yards per carry in its last three games. None of those games have featured a group of running backs that have been entirely healthy.

Ross, who has played in four games and has averaged 4.1 yards per carry, will likely return after the Bobcats’ 10-day bye week. 

Ohio is already strong enough, though.

Tuggle, Allison, Ross, Portis — it doesn’t matter. The Bobcats will still run the ball, and they proved again Saturday that they can make it work.

@anthonyp_2

ap012215@ohio.edu

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