Ohio (1-2 overall) has finally gotten through the grueling part of the non-conference schedule after a 37-9 loss on the road against No. 1 Ohio State.
The Bobcats played a hard-fought and clean game, winning the turnover battle 2-0 against the Buckeyes, and they were able to close the lead to just a 13-9 game in the third quarter after a 67-yard Chase Hendricks touchdown.
The ending of the game marks the end of a tough opening schedule for Ohio, as it played against three straight Power Four opponents in the first three weeks of the season, the only team in the country to do so.
“What our guys have been through these first three games, and I think the way that they played in these first three games, makes us extremely proud of them,” Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. “I think it's great for our confidence moving forward, just them understanding how well they're playing against good teams, how close they are to wins.”
If the first two weeks of the season didn’t cement that Ohio isn’t going anywhere under Brian Smith, then Saturday night’s performance against Ohio State certainly did.
Ohio came into a raucous Ohio Stadium on Saturday night, playing in what is Ohio State’s only night game at home for the season, and didn’t look scared or out of place once.
The first drive of the game showed that and then some, with the Bobcats making a goal-line stand to start the game, with cornerback Tank Pearson getting a huge breakup against Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, and then defensive end Anas Luqman getting a sack on the next play on fourth and goal to get the defense off the field.
For the rest of the game, Ohio State had serious problems converting red zone trips into touchdowns, and credit is due to Ohio’s defense for stepping up when it mattered most.
“I thought our defense played extremely well,” Smith said. “I think they played hard. I think that they tackled really well. There's a lot of good things that they did, and the ability to make the stops that they made in the red zone and force field goals (was huge).”
The defense has improved dramatically throughout the gauntlet of an opening schedule for Ohio, going from allowing 31 points in the first half against Rutgers to allowing just 13 total points in the next six quarters of football from the second half against Rutgers to the end of the West Virginia game.
The Buckeyes' offense eventually started to heat up, with redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin finding two of the best receivers in the country in Tate and Jeremiah Smith for deep touchdowns to put the game out of reach.
The Bobcats won’t be playing anyone with that level of talent for the rest of the year, and the signs shown from the defense should inspire confidence in fans going into next week against FCS opponent Gardner-Webb.
One hiccup that affected Ohio was Parker Navarro leaving the game in the second quarter with an unknown injury. The Ohio quarterback was slow to get up after getting hit by Ohio State’s Beau Atkinson, and he was out for the majority of the second half.
Despite the injury to one of the best quarterbacks at the Group of Five level, the Ohio offense wasn’t dormant, and it was able to sustain drives as well as turn a turnover on defense into three points.
“I don't think (there) was a fall off between Nick and Parker,” Hendricks said. “I mean, obviously (they have) two different types of games … but I don't think it's a fall off in between one and two. I think Nick can still get the job done, and I think that about anybody on the team.”
Navarro was able to come back, and he looked like his usual electric self, running the ball for a nine-yard gain on his first play back from the injury, and the next being the 67-yard touchdown to Hendricks.
Ohio has shown serious fight throughout the toughest opening three-week stretch in the entire country, and that bodes very well as the Bobcats move into playing a final FCS non-conference opponent before Mid-American Conference play begins.
