Ohio finished the 2024 season with 30 or more points in six of its final 7 games. The offense was run heavily through senior quarterback Parker Navarro, who would use both his arm and his legs to pick apart defenses.
The first week of 2025, however, brought a new challenge: Ohio traveled to take on Big 10 opponent Rutgers as the reigning Mid-American Conference champs. Ohio would come out on the losing end in this one by a score of 34-31, but the offense that finished last season appears to be back in gear again to start the new year strong.
The Bobcats’ offense was firing on all cylinders against the Scarlett Knights' defense, scoring points on five possessions. The offense cycled through a handful of receivers throughout the night, with six guys having multiple catches.
“I think he’s a great leader,” Smith said. “He’s a two-time captain, he has strong character, I think a lot of players can be drawn to him, and he’s doing a good job making connections. I think that he really saw the value of the connection he had with Coleman last year ... the ability to do that with more guys on the team increases his ability to be successful."
The main recipient of Navarro’s passes was junior Chase Hendricks, who hauled in 9 balls for a game-high 115 yards from his new slot role.
“I love Chase, and I think that he’s improved a lot as a player, and I think moving to the slot gives him a lot more opportunities to get touches,” Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. “I think it fits his game better.”
The rise of opportunity could also be seen from the tight end position this season. Last season, Ohio had only three touchdowns all year caught by tight ends, but on Thursday night, it saw three. Two touchdowns were caught by senior Jake Bruno, and the other by sophomore Mason Williams.
“That just happened naturally,” Navarro said on the tight end’s role in the offense Thursday night. “Some of those guys were open down in the red zone and got in the end zone. We got two good tight ends, and they made some plays.”
The flow in Smith’s play calling was apparent early with a balanced attack, utilizing both Navarro’s arm and the legs of senior running back Sieh Bangura to move the ball down the field with creativity and precision.
“I’m working off of a script, and that’s where you might see more variation, more creativity, maybe because I’ve got time to kind of really think about what I want to see,” said Smith of the first drive play-calling. “There’s times early in the game where you want to give some different looks, you want to show some different formations to see how things will align.”
The Ohio offense had Rutgers on its heels due to the dual threat ability of Navarro, who had 333 total yards on the night, but his legs did not become a factor until midway through the third quarter when he burst through the defensive line for a 17-yard rushing score.
“I think it just came in time,” Navarro said. “I think defenses give us what they give us, coach Smith made play calls accordingly.”
The Bobcats as a unit played a clean game all over the field on offense, but the unsung heroes of the night were the offensive linemen protecting Navarro and Bangura. As a unit, they allowed no sacks and only four tackles for a loss. This effort is what allowed the Bobcats to stay in the game all night and will be pivotal moving forward.
“Those guys did a great job,” Navarro said. “I was happy to see them play with so much effort. Those guys come to work at practice, and I know coach Thompson got them going. Those guys kept me clean, and I really appreciate the work they put in throughout the week.”
Ohio’s well-balanced play fell on the legs of Bangura and sophomore Duncan Brune, who combined for over 100 yards together. Bangura specifically carried a lot of the load with 16 carries for 86 yards. Bangura was explosive, logging three runs of over 15 yards, and once he got to the second level, he was a tough task to tackle for Rutgers defenders.
A Big 10 environment can be a daunting place to play, especially in a season opener, but the unfazed Ohio offense came to compete all night long and even in a loss was never out of the game. It's 440 yards was enough for Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano to go for it on a fourth down late and not let the ball back into the hands of Navarro and the offense.
The big play ability with both the arm and legs has the Bobcats ready to have another strong season ahead, as they hope to compete for another MAC title and put pressure on power conference opponents with their high-powered offense.
