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YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Ohio football program went on the road for a matchup with the Eastern Michigan Eagles, where it was able to secure its first road game victory of the season. After a close game through three quarters, the Bobcats pulled away and came out on top 28-21.
"Something that we talked about all week long was that this was going to be a four-quarter game," head coach Brian Smith said. "I really loved how our guys played on all three sides. There were great moments within the game, and I'm really proud of our defense."
On offense, Ohio had several record-breaking performances again. Graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro (Tempe, Ariz) had one of the best passing games of his career after putting up a career-high 315 passing yards that included two touchdowns. Two Bobcats had 100-plus receiving yards, with junior wide receiver Chase Hendricks (St. Louis, Mo.) recording 112 yards on 10 catches with two touchdowns, and redshirt junior wide receiver Rodney Harris (Cincinnati, Ohio) tallying 103 yards. For Hendricks, his 100-yard performance was the sixth such game of his season. Redshirt sophomore tight end Mason Williams (Mogadore, Ohio) was also involved in the passing game with three receptions for 45 yards.
On the ground, graduate student running back Sieh Bangura (Bowie, Md.) tallied two touchdowns against Eastern Michigan with 100 total rush yards. Navarro also had a big day in the run game with 63 yards, including a 33-yard rush in the fourth quarter.
The Bobcats were led on defense by junior safety Jalen Thomeson (Greenwood, Ind.), who recorded 11 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for a loss. The Bobcats' lone turnover on the day was a fumble forced by redshirt senior Pius Odjugo (Warri, Nigeria). The fumble was recovered by freshman linebacker Charlie Christopher (Uniontown, Ohio), who also recorded 10 tackles in the effort. In the passing game, graduate student Tank Pearson (Oxford, Miss.) led Ohio with two pass breakups.
On special teams, graduate student punter Magnus Haines (Massillon, Ohio) had two punts, one of which traveled 68 yards, which was the longest by an Ohio player since 2016.
Both teams started hot on the offensive end, each starting with a touchdown on their first drive. Ohio tied the game 7-7 after a 28-yard touchdown reception by Hendricks, his first touchdown and catch of the game. The scoring play was set up by a 30-yard completion from Navarro to Williams on Ohio's first play on offense.
Eastern Michigan would respond to an impressive opening drive by Ohio with a touchdown that gave it a 14-7 lead with 5:01 to play in the first quarter.
The offensive onslaught slowed from there, however, as neither team scored any points in the second quarter. Going into halftime, Ohio trailed Eastern Michigan 14-7.
Coming out of the locker room, Ohio's defense was able to pick up where it left off after a scoreless second quarter by holding Eastern Michigan to another zero points in the third quarter.
With the defense playing well, the Ohio offense was able to capitalize with a touchdown midway through the third quarter. A one-yard rushing touchdown by Bangura capped off a drive that featured a handful of impressive runs.
After getting a quick stop on defense, Ohio's offense came out with another score to start the fourth quarter that would break the 14-14 tie. Navarro found Harris in the middle of the field for a 49-yard completion on the drive's first play that later set up Hendricks' second receiving touchdown of the day, a 14-yard catch and score.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Ohio's defense came up with one of its biggest plays of the day. As the Eagles were attempting to drive down to tie up the game, Odjugo was able to force a fumble that was later recovered by Christopher to take any hope away from Eastern Michigan.
Towards the end of the quarter, Bangura rushed into the end zone for his second touchdown of the day, this time giving Ohio a 28-14 lead late in the game.
Eastern Michigan was able to drive down and get another touchdown to get back to a one-score deficit, but it wasn't enough as Ohio was able to waste the game's final seconds to earn a 28-21 win.
The Bobcats will be back in action Tuesday, Nov. 4, when they take on Miami (Ohio) at Peden Stadium at Frank Solich Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast ESPN2 or CBS Sports Network.
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