PITTSBURGH ? Despite outplaying Pittsburgh in the second half, the Ohio football team dropped its season opener to the Panthers 27-14 Saturday night at Heinz Field.

"A loss is painful, especially coming off of what these guys went through last year, and our guys feel it right now," said Bobcat head coach Brian Knorr. "We let a lot of opportunities slip through our hands."

Bobcat quarterback Fred Ray scored on a 19-yard option keeper with 8:02 left in the game to cut the Pittsburgh lead to its final margin. The score by Ray ? who finished with 77 yards on the ground ? capped a nine-play, 43-yard drive.

"Fred Ray made some plays out there tonight and was very impressive," said Knorr about his backup quarterback who played most of the second half.

Following Dontrell Jackson's fourth interception of the game, Panther fullback Lousaka Polite had given Pittsburgh a 27-7 lead with a 3-yard touchdown run three minutes earlier in the fourth quarter.

A Chad Brinker six-yard touchdown run gave Ohio its first score. The senior from Martins Ferry ? who amassed 119 yards on 24 carries ? broke two tackles on his way to the endzone, making the score 20-7 in favor of the Panthers with 4:34 remaining in the third quarter.

"Chad played with tremendous heart tonight and he earned every yard he got," said Knorr, in his second year at Ohio's helm. "(Pittsburgh) played an eight-man front almost all night long and their linebackers were very active."

Four turnovers and two unsuccessful field goal attempts by Ohio contributed to a 20-0 halftime deficit.

Jackson threw three interceptions in the first half while Kevin Kerr had a 34-yard field goal attempt blocked in the first quarter and missed a 42-yarder wide right with 5:08 remaining in the second.

After a J.B. Gibboney 37-yard field goal gave the Panthers a 17-0 lead with 1:46 left in the half, Dion Byrum lost a fumble on the kickoff return. The Ohio defense then held Pittsburgh to a 31-yard field goal by David Abdul with 15 seconds remaining.

On the Panthers' first drive of the opening quarter, Rod Rutherford hit Lamar Slade for a 26-yard score on third-and-11 to take the early 7-0 lead.

At 7:59 in the second quarter, Pittsburgh tailback Raymond Kirkley took a shovel pass at the nine-yard line, broke three tackles, and capped off a 13-play, 67-yard drive for the 14-0 advantage.

Rob Stover and Bop White both recorded interceptions for the Bobcat defense in the first half. White also made a pick at the end of the third quarter, giving him 13 for his career and moving him into a tie for second on Ohio?s all-time charts.

For the game, Ohio outgained the Panthers in total yards 283-193. The Bobcats also registered 20 first downs compared to Pittsburgh's 14.

"At halftime, we really challenged our guys to see what was going to happen in the second half and this group of 60 guys never quit," said Knorr. "They stayed in it, they believed, and up until the very end we thought we had a shot at winning the game."

The Bobcats (0-1) next face Northeastern (1-0) on Sept. 6 in the friendly confines of Peden Stadium. Tickets for the 8 p.m. contest can be purchased through the Ohio Athletics Ticket Office by calling 740-593-1300 or 1-800-575-CATS.

"We cannot wait to get back to Peden Stadium," said Knorr. "We look forward to playing in front of a great crowd in Athens."