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PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Ohio Football program opened the 2025 season against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. In a game that came down to the final play, Ohio fell, 34-31.
"I'm definitely proud of how our guys fought, and the character they have, the trust and belief they have in each other," Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. "It shows a lot of brightness for the future."
Returning graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro (Tempe, Ariz.) was incredible in Week 1 with 21 completions for 239 passing yards and three passing touchdowns to go along with 96 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. The Ohio offense spread the ball well against Rutgers, with eight different receivers tallying at least one catch in the contest. Junior wide receiver Chase Hendricks (St. Louis, Mo.) was among the best of the bunch with a career-high nine receptions for 115 yards. Tight ends Jake Bruno (Amherst, New York) and Mason Williams (Mogadore, Ohio) tallied all of Ohio's receiving touchdowns, with Bruno hauling in two and Williams scoring one. On the ground, redshirt senior running back Sieh Bangura (Bowie, Md.) made a statement in his return with the Bobcats, tallying 88 yards on 16 attempts.
Defensively, Ohio was led in tackles by senior captain Adonis Williams Jr. (Cleveland Heights, Ohio), who tallied 11 from the safety position. Sophomore defensive end Jay Crable (Massillon, Ohio) tallied the lone sack for Ohio when he got to the Rutgers quarterback on the first drive of the game. In the passing game, redshirt junior linebacker Jack Fries (Cincinnati, Ohio) was among Ohio's best with one breakup.
Redshirt freshman kicker David Dellenbach (Park City, Utah) was perfect in his debut, going 1-1 on field goals with a 30-yard make and 4-for-4 on extra point attempts.
The Ohio defense forced two fourth downs on the game's opening drive but was unable to get a stop, allowing Rutgers to start the scoring early with a touchdown.
The Bobcat offense was quick to respond, as they matched Rutgers with an opening drive touchdown. A 10-play, 65-yard drive ended in a four-yard touchdown catch by Williams. Ohio's touchdown foreshadowed what was to come as the team continued to trade scores for the rest of the first half.
At the end of the first quarter, the Bobcats were deadlocked with the Scarlet Knights at 7-7.
The tie wouldn't last long as Rutgers was able to knock through a field goal with 14:52 to play in the second quarter, making the score 10-7. The Scarlet Knights extended their lead later in the second quarter with a deep passing touchdown to make the score 17-7.
Ohio cut the deficit to three after a big play from another Ohio tight end; this time, it was Bruno, who scored a 14-yard receiving touchdown, marking his first as a Bobcat.
Rutgers ended the half strong, scoring two straight touchdowns. The Ohio offense would once again respond, marching all the way down the field with just over two minutes to go to set up a 31-yard field goal for Dellenbach, who knocked through the first made field goal of his career.
Going into the half, Ohio trailed Rutgers by two touchdowns at 31-17.
Coming out of the half, Navarro was everything that Ohio needed him to be and more. A quick rushing score from the graduate student quarterback on the team's first drive was followed by a defensive stop that gave the Bobcats an opportunity to tie the game at 31.
Navarro once again led the offense down the field for a touchdown, another passing score to Bruno with 4:07 to play in the third quarter, Navarro's third passing and fourth total touchdown of the game.
Despite a double-digit halftime deficit, Ohio and Rutgers entered the fourth quarter once again tied.
Rutgers kicked a field goal to take a 3-point lead with 11:11 to play in the game. Navarro and the offense had a chance to take the lead but were stopped on third down in Rutgers territory.
The Scarlet Knights were able to run out the clock from there on a long drive down into Ohio territory.
"I think the thing that's really great is that there's a lot of guys in that room right now that see how they missed this opportunity to win the game and truly believe that they could have and should have won that game at the end," Smith said.
The Bobcats return to Athens on Saturday, Sept. 6, hosting the West Virginia Mountaineers for their home opener. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPNU.
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