ATHENS, Ohio ? Despite taking an early 13-0 lead, five turnovers doomed the Ohio football team Saturday as Akron knocked off the Bobcats 31-19 in the season finale in front of 11,775 at Peden Stadium.

The Bobcats (4-7 overall, 2-6 Mid-American Conference) scored the game?s first two touchdowns but Akron (6-4, 6-1 MAC) answered with 24 straight points to put the game out of reach.

?We had opportunities to do some things and make plays but were unable to do it and they took advantage,? said Ohio head coach Brian Knorr. ?When you turn the ball over five times, you?re not going to win many football games.?

Akron defensive lineman Dwayne LeFall recorded two sacks, forced a pair of fumbles, recovered one fumble, picked off a pass and scored a touchdown to spark the Zips? defensive effort.

Both offenses stalled in the first period of play but that did not stop the Bobcats from lighting up the scoreboard in the early going. On Akron?s third-consecutive punt of the afternoon, the Ohio special teams unit made the Zips pay. Stafford Owens (Harvey, Ill.) caught the kick at his own 19-yard line and proceeded to turn the corner on the left side, break a tackle at midfield and scamper 81 yards into the end zone for the score. Brooks Rossman?s (Seal Beach, Calif.) point-after attempt was good as the Bobcats took a 7-0 lead with just more than 2:00 remaining in the opening frame.

The Zips were forced to punt again on their ensuing possession and this time the Ohio offense took its turn. Senior quarterback Ryan Hawk (Centerville) moved the Bobcats down the field, connecting with Scott Mayle (Philippi, W.Va.), who hurdled a defender, spun out of another tackle and moved 45 yards into the Akron red zone. Hawk called his own number on a key third-down conversion to put the Bobcats inside the Akron 10, setting up a one-yard plunge by Kalvin McRae (Decatur, Ga.) for the score. The point-after attempt sailed wide left but the Bobcats took a 13-0 lead with 10:01 remaining in the half.

The Zips offense came to life on the next drive. Midway through the drive, after a pair of Ohio timeouts, quarterback Charlie Frye ran for 10 yards and converted a 4th-and-3 to keep the drive alive. On the 11th play of the possession, tailback Brett Biggs ran the ball in over the left side for the score. The PAT attempt was good and the Zips pulled to within six.

Ohio?s Dion Byrum (Matthews, N.C.) returned the ensuing kickoff into Akron territory but the Bobcats could not take advantage. On the fourth play of the drive, Hawk?s pass was picked off by LeFall and returned 60 yards for the score. The kick was good as Akron took a 14-13 lead.

The Zips had a chance to pad their lead but were unsuccessful. Back-to-back sacks by the Ohio defense put Akron in a 4th-and-goal situation from the Bobcat 21, setting up a 38-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide right as time expired on the half.

For the half, Ohio converted four of its six third downs and amassed 158 yards. Akron completed one of its seven third downs and collected 142 yards of total offense.

To open up the second half, both teams traded punts. Then, on Ohio?s second possession of the half, the ball was knocked loose out of Hawk?s hands and was recovered by Akron?s Kiki Gonzalez. The Zips started their drive in Ohio territory and eventually settled for a 31-yard field goal to take a 17-13 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the third period.

On the next Bobcat possession, Hawk found Mayle down the left side for a touchdown but the play was called back on a pass interference penalty charged to the offense. Backed deep into their own their own territory as a result, the ball was once again knocked loose from Hawk?s hands, this time recovered by LeFall at the Ohio 1-yard line. On the first play of the Akron drive, Bomenik Hixon punched it in, putting the Zips up 24-13 with 2:29 on the clock.

Akron?s Jermaine Reid recovered another Ohio fumble on the next Bobcat possession, giving the Zips the football again in Ohio territory. Akron could not convert the turnover into points, however, missing a 34-yard field goal attempt and returning the ball to Ohio.

The Bobcats took advantage of the miss and turned it into points. Hawk engineered an eight-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a 36-yard touchdown scamper by Justin Roush (Pomeroy). The Bobcats went for two but the conversion attempt failed as Akron clung to a 24-19 lead.

The Zips responded with a score of their own on the ensuing possession as Frye connected with receiver Johnny Long in the back corner of the end zone on the 13th play of the drive for the touchdown. With less than five minutes left on the game clock, Akron led 31-19.

The Bobcats were unable to inch any closer as the clock expired on the game and the 2004 season.

Hawk finished the day 14-for-27 for 157 yards while Frye completed 15 passes for 190 yards.

Chip Cox (Columbus) led the Bobcats with 13 tackles on the afternoon while Rob Stover (Galena) recorded eight stops. Four Ohio defenders recorded sacks on the day as Ohio held Akron to 292 yards of total offense ? three yards fewer than the Bobcats.

?Charlie Frye didn?t make a whole lot of bad decisions out there,? Knorr said. ?We were able to pressure him as much as I thought we were going to be able to. We hit him a lot, had him in our grasp a lot, but we were never able to get the ball away.?

Roush led the Ohio ground attack, collecting 119 yards on 14 carries.

Owens returned four punts on the afternoon, collecting 119 yards ? good for second-most in Ohio single-game history. Today?s effort put Owens at 713 career punt return yards, most in school history.

?It?s good to see Stafford do well,? said Knorr. ?It hasn?t been an easy year for Stafford. It?s good to see him stay in the fight.?

Ohio finishes the season with four wins, tied for the highest total in the Knorr era.