Aug. 30, 2008
Final Stats | AP Action Photos 
LARAMIE, Wy. - The Ohio football team fell 21-20 to the Cowboys of Wyoming on the road at War Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats start the season 0-1, while the Cowboys move to 1-0.
The game was back-and-forth throughout, with Ohio opening the scoring in the first quarter. Capping a 13-play, 59-yard opening drive, junior quarterback Theo Scott (Long Beach, Calif.) threw a four-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Andrew Mooney (Lubbock, Texas), putting the Bobcats ahead 7-0.
Wyoming answered on its next possession, marching 51 yards downfield and scoring on a six-yard run by senior Devin Moore near the end of the opening quarter to tie the game. In the second quarter of play, an Ohio fumble gave the ball back to the Cowboys. They capitalized with an 11 play, 61-yard drive highlighted by a three-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Dax Crum to junior Jesson Salyards, putting the Cowboys up 14-7.
On the ensuing kickoff, Bobcat returner Donte Harden (Erie, Pa.) responded with a 100-yard dash for a touchdown, quickly tying the game at 14 midway through the second quarter. That run sets a new Ohio record for longest kick return in Bobcat football history.
The next Wyoming possession, junior safety Steven Jackson intercepted Crum and returned the ball 18 yards to the Cowboy 42. The drive ended in a 31-yard field goal by senior kicker Barrett Way (Richmond, Va.), putting Ohio ahead.
The Bobcats forced another turnover when senior safety Neil Jereb (Westlake, Ohio) picked off another pass by Crum, returning it 22 yards to the Wyoming 35. The Bobcats failed to turn that into points, however, after not converting a fourth and two with just over a minute to play in the half. The Bobcats went into the locker room with a 17-14 lead.
The second half started out slowly, as both teams punted away their first two possessions. Ohio began the scoring with a 34-yard field goal from Barrett Way at the start of the fourth quarter, increasing the Bobcat lead to 20-14.
Wyoming answered with a steady 84-yard drive ending when Crum hit wide receiver Donate Morgan with a 23-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter, giving the Cowboys a 21-20 lead.
The Bobcats attempt to reclaim the lead fell short, as Theo Scott was intercepted by Wyoming's Quincy Rogers on the Cowboys' 9-yard line with fewer than five minutes to play. The Bobcats would get the ball back on their own 26-yard line after a Cowboy punt, but there was not enough time to mount a winning drive.
The Bobcats are now 0-2 all-time versus Wyoming, having dropped last year's meeting at home by one point, as well.
Quarterback Theo Scott finished with a solid performance, going 26-35 for 224 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Junior wide receiver Taylor Price (Hilliard, Ohio) had a career day, catching 14 balls for 139 yards, both career highs, while averaging 9.9 yards per catch. His 14 receptions also set a school record for most receptions in a game, topping the previous mark of 12. Junior Chris Garrett (Bristow, Va.) led the ground attack with 12 carries for 30 yards. Kicker Barrett Way was a perfect 2-2 on PATs and field goals. Anchoring the defense was sophomore linebacker Noah Keller (Kearney, Neb.), who recorded 15 tackles, seven of them solo.
For the Cowboys, quarterback Dax Crum went 14-22 on the day for 111 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Senior Devin Moore led the team with 25 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Freshman cornerback Tashaun Gipson led the defense with nine tackles.
Overall, the Bobcats outgained the Cowboys 287 yards to 271. Wyoming led the charge in rushing, notching 160 yards on the ground to Ohio's 39. The Bobcat air attack accounted for 248 total yards, while the Cowboys had just 111.
The Cowboys (1-0) will remain at home for their Mountain West opener versus Air Force (1-0) next Saturday. Ohio (0-1) travels to nearby Columbus next Saturday, Sept. 6, to face Ohio State (1-0). The game will kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET and can be viewed on either ESPN or ESPN2.
Ohio Coach and Player Quotes
Wyoming Game
August 30, 2008
Head Coach Frank Solich
GENERAL - "It was a hard-fought second half by both teams. We had our opportunities. The game was filled with opportunities for us in all aspects, whether you look at special teams, defense or offense and some of those we capitalized on and played very good football. We made a few errors and mistakes that were very costly along the way. I think that was across the broad and that goes for us coaches too. As we look at it, we will look at it, analyze it, learn from it, and try to get better. I love the heart of our players. There are a lot of good signs coming from this game. But it was a tough loss for these guys in an opening game."
ON EXECUTING THE GAME PLAN - "We did a lot of the things necessary to win but we just didn't do enough. It is obvious that some of our play I liked. We were able to have an efficient passing game and we developed a few runs off of it. We were able to control the ground game except for one drive over the course of the game and that's what we set out to do. There were a lot of things that we accomplished but we just came up short on the scoreboard. There were a couple of plays that we would have liked to have done differently that would have helped. Taylor [Price] had a great game. Not only 14 catches but some of those spectacular catches."
ON THE PLAY OF QUARTERBACK Theo Scott - "I thought he played well for a good share of the game. There were some plays that he would have liked to have over but when you look at the overall game he made a lot of plays for us, threw the ball well, scrambled at times and made plays that way. He did an awful lot of good things for us."
ON THE FINAL PLAY OF THE GAME - "It was a broken pattern. When you have breakdowns like that, it can become very costly."
ON THE SEVERAL OFFENSIVE OPPORTUNITIES - "There were drives where we stalled out on and didn't convert into points and when that happens to you it starts to become costly. And if you start getting to where you `re driving and all you're getting out of it is field goals, that starts to become costly also. But, we have a lot of good things to build off of and we'll get ready for the next one."
Junior Wide Receiver Taylor Price
ON HIS SCHOOL RECORD 14 RECEPTIONS IN THE GAME - "Coming into the season, we were trying to find ways to get me the ball and a couple of our tight ends the ball and make things happen with our playmakers. I wasn't counting the receptions; I was just letting the ball come to me. If there were a couple big third down or fourth down situations, I knew that I was going to come down with it."
ON THE WYOMING DEFENSE - "They were playing a deep cover three giving us a little cushion. I think they respected our speed and our ability to stretch the field vertically. So I think a lot of those short routes were open all day."
ON THE PLAY OF THE OFFENSE - "We all played a good game but we made a few mistakes and we couldn't capitalize on a lot of drives. On a lot of drives we either put up three points or no points at all. I think that will be one of the things we work on."
ON THE OHIO STATE GAME - "It's a big game. We have a lot to prove to these Buckeyes. A lot of us come from the Columbus area so we are going to come out and give it our all and pull out all of the stops."
