FRISCO, Texas – The Ohio Football team (9-4) capped off its 2025 season on a high note with a win in the Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl, defeating UNLV (10-4), 17-10 Tuesday night (Dec. 23) inside the Ford Center at the Star. The win marks Ohio's seventh-straight bowl victory, the second-longest such streak in the country.  

"I can't speak highly enough of how they (this team) operated," Ohio interim head coach John Hauser said. "We just stayed together as a family, and they hit a lot of big goals today." 

Redshirt senior running back Sieh Bangura (Bowie, Md.) and senior safety Adonis Williams Jr. (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) took home offensive and defensive player of the game for the Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl.  

Bangura led the Ohio offense with 149 rushing yards and a touchdown, averaging more than seven yards per carry. Williams was the Bobcats' leader on defense with five total tackles, including a sack.  

Alongside Bangura in the backfield for Ohio was graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro (Tempe, Ariz.), who had another great game with 11 completions for 143 yards while contributing 43 yards and a touchdown on the ground. In the receiving game, the Bobcats were led by junior receiver Chase Hendricks (St. Louis, Mo.), who tallied four receptions for 87 yards to surpass 1,000 receiving yards on the season, the second-straight Ohio receiver to do so after Coleman Owen (Gilbert, Ariz.) tallied 1,000 in 2024.  

"The five guys up front, that o-line, did their thing that they did all game long," Bangura said. "Then you add Parker (Navarro) in, who can run the ball and take pressure off me all night. We love to have the ball in our hands at the end of the game. So running the ball is what we do at Ohio, and it was a great way to end it." 

Helping Williams on defense was freshman linebacker Charlie Christopher (Uniontown, Ohio), who would lead the team in tackles with seven. Freshman linebacker Ike Ackerman (Omaha, Neb.) forced a turnover in the game when he sacked the UNLV quarterback for a forced fumble. Ohio's other turnover came from redshirt sophomore defensive back DJ Walker (Aliquippa, Pa.), who tallied an interception along with six total tackles.  

"I think it's a testament to coach Hauser and all the coaches and just how they coach, and just how me and all the other players on the defense buy into what they tell us and what they need us to do," Williams said.  

Redshirt freshman kicker David Dellenbach (Park City, Utah) made his career-long field goal against UNLV with a 45-yarder in the third quarter to extend Ohio's lead. Graduate student punter Magnus Haines (Massillon, Ohio) had two punts in the game with a long of 56 and an average of 45 yards.  

A wild first quarter got started on special teams for Ohio. After forcing a punt on the first drive of the game, redshirt freshman wide receiver Miles Cremascoli (Winnetka, Ill.) blocked the UNLV punt to set up the offense.  

Later in the quarter, still tied 0-0, Ohio forced a turnover in the red zone when Ackerman forced a fumble and recovered it to save a score from the Rebels. Defense was a premium for both teams in a scoreless first quarter.  

The Bobcats scored the first points of the game in the second quarter when a 42-yard reception by Hendricks set up a five-yard rushing touchdown by Navarro to give the Bobcats a 6-0 lead with just over 10 minutes to play in the second quarter.  

On the game's very next drive, the Ohio defense rose up again after a big fourth-down tackle by junior safety Jalen Thomeson (Greenwood, Ind.) forced a turnover on downs to give the Bobcat offense the ball with 5:05 to play in the half.  

After giving the ball back to UNLV with under four minutes to play, it was Walker making the big play to end the half, tallying an interception to secure a scoreless first half for the defense.  

Ohio would take a 6-0 lead into the halftime break.  

Getting the ball to start the second half, Bangura and the offense came out hot, scoring a touchdown on their first drive out of the break. A 23-yard rushing score by Bangura capped off a drive featuring a steady rushing attack and efficient passing by Navarro.  

A two-yard reception by Hendricks on the two-point conversion attempt gave the Bobcats a 14-0 lead early in the third quarter.  

With another great play on defense to force a UNLV punt towards the end of the quarter, Ohio would take a 14-3 lead into the game's final period.  

To end a long scoring drive to start the fourth quarter, Dellenbach drilled his career-long 45-yard field goal to put the Bobcats back on top by 14 at 17-3.  

UNLV wouldn't go down easily as it was able to score its first touchdown of the day late in the fourth quarter. Getting the ball back on offense with 4:45 to play, Bangura picked up a few first downs to waste the rest of the clock and secure a 17-10 Ohio victory.  

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