Just over 2 years ago on a rainy afternoon in Athens, Ohio hosted bitter rivals Miami (OH) for the annual Battle of the Bricks rivalry. It was a massive game for both teams and the entire Mid-American Conference. Miami pulled off the huge win on Frank Solich Field, and walked off firmly in the drivers seat for a MAC title spot.
Exactly 738 days later, Ohio (6-3 overall, 4-1 MAC) again hosted Miami (5-4 overall, 4-1 MAC) for the Battle of the Bricks with huge MAC title implications on the line. This time, the Bobcats came out victorious after an action-packed game, claiming their spot in the driver's seat on the road to Detroit for the MAC title game with a 24-20 victory.
That Miami loss in 2023 remains the only loss that Ohio has suffered on Frank Solich Field, and tonight the players and coaches were determined to keep it that way.
“After they put that name down of the Hall of Fame coach, Frank Solich, it was like we took it and we wanted to run with it,” Ohio running back Sieh Bangura said. “We wanted to stamp that this turf is going to be ours, and we're not going to lose on this turf. It just means everything to us.”
The game started out as a defensive battle, with both teams scoreless at the end of the first quarter after both teams traded punts.
Late in the first quarter, the Ohio offense was able to put together a very solid drive with graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro finding his weapons in space where they can gain good chunks of yardage.
That drive ended in a turnover after a deep shot to Chase Hendricks was intercepted after a great play from Miami’s Eli Coppess. Neither offense was able to get much going in the second quarter either, as both teams closed out the half with field goals, going into the break tied at three apiece.
The defense for Ohio was huge, getting countless stops in the first half and taking out Miami’s run game. The Bobcats especially shut down the run game just before the half, keeping Miami out of the end zone from the one-yard line and holding it to a field goal.
“I mean, the way they played in the first half was awesome, knocking out the run,” Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. “It took the offense a while to kind of get going. We needed to settle in a little bit with how they were playing us, and they made some changes, just play-calling-wise, from things that they've done in the past … I think our defensive staff did a great job with knocking out the run and eliminating big plays.”
While the first half was a slow, defensive battle, the second half turned what was a good game into a classic. It again started slowly as the Ohio defense forced a punt coming out of halftime before Navarro fumbled the ball in Ohio territory.
Miami capitalized with a field goal, but the Bobcats' offense came right back and put together a huge touchdown drive that lasted eight plays and went 75 yards. Bangura ended the drive with a 22-yard score, giving Ohio some serious momentum.
The next Miami drive lasted nearly 6 minutes, ending with a five-yard touchdown throw from Dequan Finn to Bryalon Isom.
The Bobcats wasted no time responding again, as in his first career game returning kicks, Bangura took the ensuing kickoff 97 yards to the house, thanks in part to a nifty trick play where he faked a lateral to fellow running back Duncan Brune before taking it himself for a score.
“We had a play called in before, and coach (Blair Cavanaugh) was like, ‘we're gonna run it. We're gonna run it if it’s kicked right, if we like it, we want to run it. And it all fell in place,” Bangura said. “The kickoff team flowed with Duncan to the boundary side, and then the field side (was) wide open. (I saw it and) I'm like, Oh yeah, here we go.”
The play got Peden Stadium rocking and caused another momentum swing in favor of the Bobcats.
The RedHawks weren’t done yet, as they again responded with another touchdown drive, giving up a touchdown to Kam Perry on a fourth and nine, giving Miami a 20-17 lead.
Both offenses traded punts following the score, but Ohio had the ball back with just over five minutes to go to put together a touchdown drive, and that's exactly what it did. A key facemask call on Miami’s Adam Trick kept the drive alive and the Bobcats took advantage.
On second and ten from the Miami 49-yard line, Navarro escaped pressure and found receiver Rodney Harris II downfield for a huge gain. Harris II stayed on his feet and dragged a defender into the end zone for a monster touchdown, giving Ohio the lead with just over two minutes left.
“I know I'm open, but he tells me to go deep,” Harris II said on the score. “So I went deep, and then I just saw the ball in the air. I saw it was a bit underthrown, so I just came back to it and just made a play. I turned around, and I saw he was on the ground. I'm like, I gotta score.”
Miami had a chance for one last drive and it started off with a 27-yard catch from Isom that had the RedHawks in good shape. The very next play, however, junior safety Jalen Thomeson read the play beautifully and picked off the pass from Finn to seal the win.
Ohio kneeled the clock out and secured its sixth victory of the year, making the team bowl eligible. Even with the six wins clinched, there is still one clear goal for the team.
“You want to treat it like it's just any other game, but it's not,” Harris II said. “It's Miami, and then it was the game to get bowl eligible. We have our sights set on just finishing out the
season strong so we can end up in Detroit again.”
