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AKRON, Ohio -- Ohio football (1-4, 1-0) picked up their first win of the 2021 season Saturday afternoon (Oct. 2), defeating the Akron Zips (1-4, 0-1) by a score of 34-17 at InfoCision Stadium. The Bobcats leaned heavily on their rushing attack, spearheaded by running back De'Montre Tuggle and quarterback Armani Rodgers, to start conference play 1-0. Tuggle set a career high in rushing yards (201) on just 17 carries, good for an 11.8 yard/carry average while also adding a touchdown, while Rodgers put two scores on the board on the ground. 
 
"It's amazing," Tuggle said when told he set a career high. "Big shoutout to my line and my receivers, those guys were blocking their tails off today."

The victory marks head coach Tim Albin's first win at the helm of Ohio's football program.
 
"I'm glad we got the win," said Albin after the game. "It should've came earlier. It is what it is. The kids came out in the second half and it was the best 2 quarters I've seen in a long time."

Both offenses took some time to settle in at the start of the game. Ohio received the opening kickoff and only took five snaps before punting the ball to Akron for the Zips' first possession of the contest. Akron was able to progress down the field into the redzone, but the Ohio defense forced a fumble that was recovered by Justin Birchette on the Bobcat 14. 

The scoring was opened by Ohio just over 10 minutes into the first quarter. A drive that began Ohio's own 13-yard line was jumped started by a Tuggle rush for 63 yards. A subsequent 13 yard run by Tuggle moved the pigskin into the redzone, where Akron's defense held strong and forced Ohio to kick a field goal. The 25-yard attempt by Stephen Johnson was booted through to put Ohio ahead 3-0 with 4:44 remaining in the first quarter. 

The first quarter ended with Ohio out-gaining the Zips 125-39 in total yardage, including a rushing advantage of 107 yards compared to just 4 for Akron.

The second quarter started with the Bobcats in possession, but the drive stalled on their own 45, and Akron received the ensuing punt on the 13 yard line. The Zips marched down the field, getting as far as inside the Bobcat 10, but a sack by Bryce Houston on 2nd and goal helped the Ohio defense hold Akron to just a field goal. The 23-yard attempt was made with 6:09 remaining and tied the game at 3-3. 

The Bobcats were able to advance to midfield on the next drive, but an errant throw by Kurtis Rourke was intercepted by Akron, giving the Zips possession at their own 45 yard line. A 45-yard pass by Akron's quarterback three plays later was reeled in for a touchdown, pushing Akron's lead to 10-3 with 3:12 remaining in the first half. 

Ohio struck late in the first half, as Rourke orchestrated a four play, 65 yard touchdown drive, spurred on by a 34 yard catch and run by Ty Walter and capped off by a 2 yard pitch and catch to Isiah Cox to knot the score at 10-10 as the teams headed into the locker room.

The Bobcats finished the first frame with a total of 223 yards compared to Akron's 189. Ohio relied on their ground game, gaining 163 yards on 20 carries while the Zips only logged 57 yards on 16 rushes. 

Akron took the opening kickoff of the second half and went 70 yards in 10 plays, capped off by an acrobatic touchdown catch. The score by the Zips with 8:34 remaining in the third quarter gave Akron the lead back at 17-10. 

Rodgers went under center for Ohio during their next drive, leading a rushing attack down the field. The Bobcats ran six plays from scrimmages, all runs, ending with a short touchdown run by Rodgers. The quick response by the Bobcats tied the game yet again, this time at 17-17, with 5:41 left on the 3rd quarter clock. Rodgers stayed under center once the Ohio defense forced an Akron punt, and continued his dominance on the ground. Converting on third down and picking up chunk yardage on the ground, the redshirt-5th year led the Bobcats to the Akron eight yard line before Ohio was forced to kick a field goal. Johnson was successful on his second kick of the day, this time from 26 yards out, to give the lead back to the Bobcats at 20-17 with 13:30 remaining in the game.

The Ohio defense was able to knock the ball loose twice on the next drive, but Akron pounced on the loose ball both times. The drive eventually ended in a Zips punt, giving the Bobcats the ball back on with 11:01 remaining. Ohio took advantage and drove down the field, exclusively on run plays, with Rodgers dashing into the endzone from 22 yards out to give the Bobfcats a 10 point lead at 27-17.
 
Ohio added one final touchdowns in the waning minutes of play, as Tuggle set his career high on his last run of the day, a 26 yard dash to the endzone, extending the Bobcats lead to the final 34-17 score. 
 
The Bobcats finished with 458 total yards of offense, with the vast majority of those coming on the ground, as Ohio tallied 398 rushing yards. Those 398 yards came via 47 rushing attempts, a 8.5 yard per carry average. 
 
Up Next:
 
The Bobcats will take on Central Michigan during homecoming week in Athens next Saturday (Oct. 9). Kickoff at Peden Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+

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