The late-season mid-week matchups are one of the many things that make the Mid-American Conference great, and Ohio (6-4, 4-2 Mid-American Conference) and Western Michigan (6-4, 5-1 MAC) were ready for another on a cold night in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Broncos won this edition of MACtion 17-13, holding off the Bobcats' fourth-quarter comeback attempts.
Sophomore running back Sieh Bangura, coming off a two-touchdown performance, started the game with a 26-yard run for the Bobcats. They caught a break on an early third down, thanks to an offside penalty on the Broncos, to move the chains.
The drive came to an abrupt end when Ohio graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro looked for junior wide receiver Chase Hendricks, but the pass was intercepted over the middle, setting up Western Michigan deep in Ohio territory.
The Broncos made a 46-yard field goal to put them on the board. Ohio’s defense did not fold after the sudden change and held the Broncos to just five yards of offense, but the strong field position and good special teams work still put Western Michigan up 3-0 off the turnover.
The Bobcats looked to find an offensive groove after another stop, and they started their drive on the ground with a 14-yard scamper by Navarro to get to midfield. The Bobcats got to a fourth and two, but head coach Brian Smith did hesitate and went for it. Navarro made it pay off, rolling to his right and finding senior tight end Jake Bruno for 16 yards.
Ohio put together a couple more plays on the ground to get inside the five, and Navarro capped off the drive with a three-yard touchdown run as Ohio took the 7-3 lead.
Western Michigan’s offense returned to the field with hopes of gaining a first down for the first time in the game, which it did just before the first quarter came to an end. The second quarter began with an explosive end-around run to cross midfield by wide receiver Christian Leary.
Ohio’s defense forced a fourth-down attempt, but the Broncos converted. Quarterback Broc Lowry led this drive with his legs, but once the drive entered the red zone the Bobcat defense stiffened and once again held the Broncos to a field goal, which they missed. The score remained 7-3 heading into halftime as Ohio ended the half with a strong defensive stand.
Western Michigan began the second half with the football, and its drive started with two consecutive nine-yard runs. The drive was very run-heavy; it was made up of eight plays, and seven of them were on the ground. Running back Jalen Buckley had 41 yards on the drive that was capped off by a one-yard run by Lowry to put the Broncos up 10-7.
“I think they got the quarterback involved really well in the run game,” Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. “And I thought the (offensive) line was moving better at the line of scrimmage then they were in the first half.”
Ohio looked to respond quickly and got a big boost early in the drive after Navarro ran for 20 yards. Bangura got involved again, picking up a crucial third down with some hard-nosed running, the first conversion in the game for either team. A few plays later, Ohio had a fourth and short that was converted on a 10-yard scramble by Navarro.
The third quarter flew by because, just like Western Michigan, Ohio was committed to the run game. Its drive was 17 plays, and 16 of those were on the legs of Navarro and Bangura, who finished the drive off with a physical three-yard score, but the lead would only remain 13-10 after a missed extra point.
“The (offensive) line did their thing,” Bangura said. “They were able to move the (defensive line) really well today. I got about four or five yards a pop every run, so the (offensive) line did really well. I was really impressed with what they did, and I was able to feed off of them.”
The Broncos needed an answer to bring some life back to the home crowd, and they certainly got one. Lowry found wide receiver Tailique Williams, who took a short pass and broke a ton of tackles for 71 yards to set up a three-yard rushing score for Buckley. The Broncos jumped right back on top, 17-13.
Ohio got the ball back and would look to match the touchdown again. The drive started strong, but on a crucial third down, Western Michigan sent the house and limited Navarro to a short gain, forcing Ohio to punt. The Broncos’ offense took the field. This drive felt like it could be make-or-break for both sides, and the Bobcats needed someone to step up.
The Broncos began to drain the clock with Buckley and Lowry. These two kept the ball on the ground as they methodically moved down the field. Ohio got the Broncos into a third and five and held them to a short gain. This would bring up a fourth and short and a 37-yard field goal attempt. The Broncos would miss it wide right, giving Ohio the ball back down four points with just under three minutes to play.
Ohio’s offense looked out of sorts to start the final drive, getting a holding penalty and allowing a sack of Navarro on third down. The Bobcats now faced fourth and 20. Navarro threw the ball downfield, but it hit the turf, resulting in a turnover on downs for Ohio. The Bobcats would get the ball back with minimal time and could not pull off the final-second miracle, as Ohio fell 17-13 on the road to Western Michigan. The final drive ended a tough day for Navarro, who finished with just 70 yards passing.
“We struggled getting into a rhythm,” Smith said on the passing game. “They did a good job really bracketing Chase and trying to take him away. And typically when they do that, we're gonna end up getting a little bit more involved in the run game, … and (we) just weren't able to get comfortable getting back into throwing the ball.”
Ohio no longer controls its own MAC title destiny after the loss, and they will need to win out the rest of the way to have a shot at Detroit.
