The Ohio football team needed a win Saturday in order to avenge a loss to Buffalo last year - and to climb back to .500. The defense not only did its part in stopping the Bulls in their tracks, but took it one step further by twice finding the end zone. The Ohio (2-2 overall, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) defense smothered Buffalo as the Bobcats won 34-0 in front of 14,627 fans at Peden Stadium. I thought our defense did a great job with pressure
Ohio coach Brian Knorr said. They put pressure on the pass game. I thought this was as physical a performance defensively as we've had in a long time. That defense, led by linebacker Matt Muncy, wasted little time in pressuring the Buffalo (0-4, 0-2 MAC) offense. Linebacker Tyler Russ intercepted Randall Secky's pass on the fifth play of the game and returned it 33 yards to the end zone, putting Ohio up 7-0 early in the game. The interception was the first of five turnovers Ohio forced on the night, four of which were interceptions. The defense was good enough to let the Bobcat offense get away with missed opportunities. Ohio had consecutive first-half possessions end on the Buffalo one-yard line. The first drive stalled when quarterback Ryan Hawk's pass fell incomplete in the end zone on fourth and one. The next drive ended when Kalvin McRae fumbled and Buffalo recovered on its one-yard line. Hawk also fumbled an exchange on Buffalo's 20-yard line on the following possession. We were way too inconsistent
Hawk said of the offense. Our defense really
really carried us. The defense answered the challenge after the Hawk fumble. Cornerback T.J. Wright intercepted a pass in the end zone, his third of the season. The offense came to life on the next play, when Hawk connected on an 80-yard touchdown pass with wide receiver Scott Mayle to put Ohio up 13-0 in the second quarter. The catch was part of a career day for Mayle, who caught five passes for 134 yards. The score remained 13-0 into the third quarter, when the Ohio defense and Muncy broke the game open by forcing two turnovers with Buffalo deep in Ohio territory. The first was a diving interception by Muncy that ended a Buffalo drive on the Ohio 20. The second came after Buffalo drove to the Ohio three-yard line. On third and goal, Bobcat free safety Rashad Butler hit running back Jared Patterson, forcing a fumble. Muncy was there to scoop up the fumble and return it 98 yards to give Ohio a 19-0 lead. At first
I thought I was going to get tackled right away
Muncy said. But after I got past the quarterback
I didn't see anybody in front of me. I knew I was going to make it when there was only linemen chasing me. Muncy finished the game with 15 tackles, 10 solo. He also forced a fumble and recorded a sack to go along with the interception and fumble return for a touchdown. The news was not all good for the Ohio defense, however. Strong safety Rob Stover sprained his MCL in the second quarter and did not return. He will be re-evaluated today. The defense also played without starting free safety Chip Cox, who separated his shoulder last week. Butler started in his place. Ohio put Buffalo away in the fourth quarter, scoring twice. Tight end Rudy Sylvan caught an eight- yard touchdown pass and McRae scored the final touchdown on a one-yard run. Knorr said that the team had its best week of practice going into Buffalo and that it showed on the field. While there were some crazy things that happened tonight
they always came back and stepped up to the challenge
he said. I felt like this was our best all-around game tonight.
