Nov. 28, 2008
Final Stats
OXFORD, Ohio - It was one for the history books as Ohio capped off the 2008 season with a 41-26 win over rival Miami (2-10, 1-7) Friday afternoon at Yager Stadium. The Bobcats won their third-consecutive meeting over the RedHawks for the first time since 1982-84 and their second-straight game in Yager since 1961 and 1963.- Junior Chris Garrett tallied a career-high 222 yards rushing and a school-record 321 all-purpose yards for the game, which capped off a season that saw many school record lists rewritten.
Ohio finishes the season with a 4-8 record overall and a 3-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play.
The Bobcats' 41 points on the day gave them 289 on the season to mark the eighth-highest single-season total in school history. They also totaled 516 yards of total offense to move up to the third spot on the program's single-season total offense list, while further adding to their already-broken school records for single-season passing yards (2,795) and single-season touchdown passes (21).
The `Cats landed the first blow in the contest when senior Barrett Way (Richmond, Va.) knocked through a 19-yard field goal to cap off a 10-play, 63-yard drive to make it 3-0 with 5:00 left in the first quarter.
Ohio looked poised to add to its tally early in the second quarter, but Miami recovered a Bobcat fumble inside the 10-yard line. Mark Parson (Richmond, Va.) got the ball back for the Green and White with an interception on a deep-thrown pass, but it would be negated as a Miami defender made a beautiful play to strip away a Boo Jackson (Gardena, Calif.) pass for an interception three plays later. The RedHawks then evened the score on a 35-yard field goal from Nathan Parseghian with 7:40 left in the first half.
Less than two minutes later, Garrett (Bristow, Va.) took a pitch and burst through a hole to scamper 23 yards past the Miami defense and into the end zone to put Ohio back on top. Way's point after capped the four-play, 64-yard drive to make it 10-3 with 5:45 left in the half. The RedHawks responded with Parseghian's second field goal of the afternoon, a 40-yard make, to cut the total to 10-6 with 1:39 left in the second quarter.
Garrett responded by taking the ensuing kickoff 57 yards to the Miami 33-yard line. Five plays later, Jackson found sophomore Terrence McCrae (Vanderbilt, Pa.) on a three-yard fade to the right corner of the end zone. Way's point-after try extended the Bobcats' lead to 17-6 with 55 seconds left on the clock. The RedHawks quickly moved the ball 46 yards over seven plays as Parseghian converted his third field goal of the half, a 34-yard make, as the clock expired to make it 17-9 in favor of Ohio going into the lockerroom. The `Cats finished the half with 221 yards of net offense, 149 of them coming on the ground. Garrett accounted for 63 yards on seven carries.
An odd play on a punt trimmed the Ohio advantage to start the second half. Attempting a rugby-style punt, Matt Schulte's kick reflected off a Redhawk rusher and over to another Miami player, who scooped it up and took it in for the score. The point after put the score at 17-16. Two plays into the Bobcats' possession, Jackson found Taylor Price (Hilliard, Ohio) down the sidelines on a 51-yard scoring strike, his fifth of the season to tie him for seventh on the school's single-season touchdown receptions list. Way's third point after of the day made it 24-16 with 10:43 left in the third quarter.
Parseghian's fourth field goal of the day finished off a 10-play, 62-yard drive by Miami to put the tally at 24-19 with 6:03 left in the quarter. Way capped off a seven-play drive over the next 3:46 with his second field goal of the day, a 26-yarder with 2:12 left in the quarter to make it 27-19 in favor of Ohio. For the senior, it was his 13th of the season to tie him for third place on the school's single-season-list. It was also marked his ninth-consecutive made field goal to mark the third-best streak in school history.
Senior Mike Mitchell (Ft. Thomas, Ky.) added his name to the Bobcat record books a short time later when he picked off a Daniel Raudabaugh pass and returned it 18 yards to give him 140 interception-return yards for his career and tie him for eighth all-time in the program's history. Thirteen plays and 6:52 later, Jackson rolled out to his right and hit fullback Jayson White (Erie, Pa.) for a one-yard strike and White's first career touchdown. Way added the point after to make it 34-19 with 9:39 left.
Garrett iced the Green-and-White win with 1:43 left in the contest when he took a handoff 79 yards up the middle for the final Ohio scoring play of the day. Way's fifth point after of the afternoon made it 41-19 and tied him for fifth on the school's single-season PAT kicks made list. Miami mounted a small rally and put the final points on the board when Raudabaugh found wide receiver Christ Givens in the endzone. The point after made it 41-26. The Bobcats then ran out the clock to take the history-making victory.
Garrett also tallied two touchdowns to go with his 222 yards rushing, the eighth-highest single-game total in school history. Jackson was efficient through the air, as he finished 15-for-20 with 190 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Jackson's three scores added to his school single-season record of 19 and moved him into a tie for fifth with Andy Vetter on the school's all-time list. He also totaled 67 yards on 11 carries on the ground. Price finished with five catches for 91 yards and a score, while Andrew Mooney (Lubbock, Texas) caught four balls for 42 yards. Noah Keller (Kearney, Neb.) led the way on the defensive side of the ball with a game-high 12 tackles to give him 104 on the season, the most in a season since 2005. Mitchell totaled seven tackles on the afternoon, in addition to his interception, while fellow seniors Michael Brown (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Mark Parson (Richmond, Va.) each tallied six.
With the season now complete, Ohio will prepare for spring football, which will get under way in April.
