by T.J. Lasita

ATHENS, Ohio ? The Ohio football team didn?t allow the Marshall offense to reach the end zone but three field goals and a defensive touchdown were enough as the Thundering Herd edged the Bobcats, 16-13, Saturday afternoon in front of 19,616 fans at Peden Stadium.

The Bobcats (3-3 overall, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) attempted a game-tying field goal with less than 30 seconds left in the contest but the kick was no good, allowing Marshall (2-3, 2-0 MAC) to escape with a three-point victory.

?We had some kids that gave tremendous individual efforts,? said Ohio head coach Brian Knorr. ?Dennis Chukwuemeka came out and played with a bad rotator cuff injury, Rob Stover had an MCL injury, Matt Coppage played the whole game with bronchitis.?

Ohio?s defense forced three turnovers and held the Marshall offense to 279 yards.

After exchanging punts throughout most of the first quarter, the Marshall special teams unit touched up the scoreboard first. The Thundering Herd drove into Bobcat territory but the Ohio defense forced a fourth down. Marshall?s Ian O?Conner was successful on a 52-yard field goal attempt, putting the Herd on top 3-0 with just less than seven minutes left in the first quarter.

The Bobcats clawed back midway through the second quarter. Stafford Owens (Harvey, Ill.) gained 34 yards on his first three carries of the ballgame, giving the Bobcat offense a boost into Marshall territory. Ohio faced 1st-and-goal at the Marshall 10 but eventually would settle for a Brooks Rossman (Seal Beach, Calif.) field goal, tying up the score 3-3 with less than six minutes remaining in the half.

On the next drive, Ohio forced a punt and regained possession but this time the Marshall defense put points on the board. Facing a 2nd-and-14 at the Ohio 29, Bobcat quarterback Ryan Hawk?s (Centerville) pass was picked off by Marshall?s Jonathan Goddard at the 23 and returned for the score. The point-after attempt was good and the Thundering Herd took control 10-3. It was the second touchdown of the season for Goddard, the reigning MAC East Defensive Player of the Week.

Before the half, Hawk led the Bobcats down the field with the clock nearing zero. Ohio traveled 59 yards on 10 plays in just more than one minute, again finishing up with a Rossman field goal. The freshman?s kick from 29 yards out sailed through the uprights, bringing the Bobcats to within four at the break.

On Marshall?s second drive of the third quarter, the Thundering Herd drove 64 yards in less than two minutes and once again lit up the scoreboard. Marshall reached the red zone but was stopped by the Bobcat defense, settling for a 29-yard field goal and a 13-6 lead with seven minutes left in third.

On its next possession, Marshall?s special teams unit struck again. The Herd traveled 49 yards and into Ohio territory before O?Conner booted his third field goal of the contest, this a 42-yard effort, putting Marshall ahead 16-6.

Early in the fourth, the Bobcats were forced to punt. On Marshall?s first play of the drive, strong safety Rob Stover (Galena) picked off a Stan Hill pass and gave Ohio the football back with 12:18 remaining in the contest.

On the ensuing drive, Knorr turned to back-up quarterback Austen Everson (Brentwood, Tenn.), who drove the Bobcats deep into Marshall territory. On the seventh play of the drive, Everson found tight end Rudy Sylvan (Suisan City, Calif.) along the left sideline as Sylvan went untouched into the end zone. The point-after attempt was good and the Bobcats trailed 16-13. The reception marked Sylvan?s third catch and third touchdown of the 2004 season.

The Bobcats forced a punt on Marshall?s next drive, taking over at their own 21-yard line with 5:11 left on the clock. Ohio couldn?t capitalize and punted the football back to Marshall.

Facing third-down-and-long, Marshall quarterback Stan Hill called his own number but fumbled while approaching the first-down marker. Stover recovered the fumble and gave the Ohio offense possession at the Thundering Herd 17, down by three with less than two minutes remaining.

Ohio couldn?t move much closer and instead attempted a game-tying 32-yard field goal with just less than 30 seconds remaining. Rossman?s attempt sailed wide right, giving the ball back to Marshall, who took a knee as the clock expired.

Hawk finished the day 18-32 for 185 yards. Chris Jackson (Seale, Ala.) caught seven passes for 65 yards to lead Ohio.

Dennis Chukwuemeka (Huntington, W.Va.) recorded 11 tackles and two sacks on the afternoon to pace the Bobcat defense.

Marshall finished the contest with eight sacks. Goddard made six tackles, two sacks and a broke up two passes in addition to his interception. Reggie Hayes collected three sacks for a loss of 16 yards.

?I thought we did a pretty good job on (Marshall?s defensive line) in the first half,? Knorr said. ?Their athleticism maybe wore us down a little bit in the second half, especially their two inside guys, (Jamaal) Whyce and (Reggie) Hayes.?

Marshall remains unbeaten in the conference while the Bobcats drop a game below .500.

?We had some guys make tremendous efforts and I thought this team showed a lot of courage,? Knorr said. ?Unfortunately, we played the champs and they?ve been in these situations a number of times.?

Next up for Ohio is a trip to Toledo. Next Saturday?s contest was moved from 7 p.m. to noon and will be televised live by ESPN from the Glass Bowl.