Ohio (1-1) wins four-overtime thriller to extend home winning streak to 14 games, beating Jacksonville State (1-2) 29-27 in 2026 home opener. The hometown fans were the key to forcing multiple errors from the Gamecocks and helping Ohio bring home win number one of this season.
“I've been here for four years, and I know the support they give us,” Ohio head coach John Hauser said. “I mean, we were playing overtime based on where the students were at, and that was a big advantage for us. So, very grateful to them. Our guys know it. We had recruits. That's a great environment, and to get a win and keep this streak alive is very special and well deserved for our team's effort.”
Ohio started with the ball and gained an early first down, but the drive stalled out shortly after, resulting in a punt. Jacksonville State took the field and immediately looked to stretch the field with 6-foot-8-inch receiver Deondre Johnson, who drew a pass interference penalty on the Bobcats.
The Gamecocks tried misdirection throughout their first drive, with carries by quarterback Caden Creel and receiver Jamill Williams. Creel controlled the offense all the way down the field and capped off the 13-play, 88-yard drive with an 8-yard scramble to give the Gamecocks the early lead on the road, up 7-0.
After a few punts, the Gamecocks took the field again and did not mess around. Creel took the first snap of the drive and hurled it to tight end Luke Gilbert for an 82-yard touchdown, giving Jacksonville State a 14-0 advantage early in the second quarter.
The Bobcats took the field and began putting together what looked like their best drive of the night to that point. Unfortunately for Ohio, starting quarterback graduate student Nick Poulos took a hard hit that resulted in a targeting penalty on the Gamecocks and was removed from the game, replaced by junior Matt Vezza.
Vezza helped Ohio finish the drive, using his legs to convert a huge third down, and found redshirt sophomore Riley Neer on a screen pass for an 8-yard touchdown pass. The Bobcats finally had some life, down 14-7.
Jacksonville State needed to find some rhythm and did so with the connection between Creel and Johnson. Johnson caught a pair of passes for 43 yards to help move the Gamecocks into Ohio territory. The Bobcats forced a fourth down, where Jacksonville State botched the snap, resulting in a broken play that went the Gamecocks' way for a first down. Ohio continued to fight, and with the help of a holding call, held the Gamecocks to a 22-yard field goal.
Ohio responded within seconds as safety and return man redshirt sophomore Darren James-Hamilton took the kickoff 98 yards to fire up the crowd and bring Ohio within a field goal, now down 17-14. Molnar then made another huge play on defense, forcing a fumble on Creel and giving Ohio one more shot before heading to the half, but the Bobcats' 47-yard attempt was blocked.
“Darren James-Hamilton, I mean, really got us back in the game with his kickoff return, and that kind of flipped the momentum for us,” Hauser said. “We needed that, and that was a huge play by him.”
Jacksonville State started the second half with a slower pace but began to move behind Creel’s legs and short passes to spread out the Ohio defense. The Gamecocks took seven minutes to finish off a dominating drive with a 4-yard touchdown run by Lando to put them back up 10, 24-14.
The Bobcat offense took the field and got running back Duncan Brune involved with five carries, plus two scrambles from Vezza. Ohio’s drive ended inside the five, and graduate student kicker Will Hryszko cashed in with a 23-yard field goal to cut the lead to a touchdown, with Ohio trailing 24-17.
Ohio needed a stop, and the defense delivered on third down with a huge tackle for loss by redshirt junior cornerback Kendall Bannister, forcing the Gamecocks to punt. After a massive third-down scramble, Vezza went down and was replaced by freshman Levi Davis. Davis got Ohio down inside the one-yard line before graduate student running back Victor Rosa punched it in to tie the game 24-24.
Jacksonville State looked to end it in regulation and drove down the field behind Creel. He scrambled outside the pocket throughout the drive, finding receivers short or scrambling downfield. The Gamecocks were set up on the Ohio 20-yard line to kick a game-winning 37-yard field goal, but the kick was no good, taking the game to overtime tied at 24.
The Gamecocks started with the ball on Ohio’s 25-yard line, but Creel was stuffed on fourth-and-two, turning the ball back over to the Bobcats, who now just needed a field goal to win. Ohio took three quick plays, setting Hryszko up for a 42-yard field goal attempt, but it was blocked by the Jacksonville State front.
Ohio took the field for the second overtime period, and after another slow drive, Hryszko drilled a 43-yard field goal to put Ohio up 27-24, giving Jacksonville the ability to win with a touchdown. The Gamecocks responded with a field goal of their own.
The game moved to the fourth overtime period, where Davis ran in the end zone for the two-point conversion and gave Ohio the 29-27 edge, meaning Jacksonville State had to respond.
“Going into a game like this, the second game of the season,” Davis said. “I don't think anybody expected the third string to go in the game, but the team did a great job of just keeping me confident and helped me along.”
Jacksonville State was unable to convert, with James-Hamilton securing the tackle just shy of the goal line to end the 29-27, quadruple overtime thriller in Athens Saturday night.
“Wow, what a game,” Hauser said. “What a win! What a program win by everybody. Offense, defense, special teams, and then playing in Peden. I thought the students going from one end to the other created a great atmosphere for our fans to get to 24 and one at home.”
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