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ATHENS, Ohio —For the third year in a row, the Ohio football program opened Mid-American Conference play 1-0, securing a 35-10 win over Bowling Green in front of its home crowd at Peden Stadium at Frank Solich Field. The Bobcats didn't trail once en route to the high-scoring victory.

"It was a great team win," Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. "I think there were tremendous things on all sides of the ball, and you could see that as the game went on.

Graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro (Tempe, Ariz.) led another high-scoring effort for the Bobcats with two passing touchdowns and 208 passing yards. He also contributed two rushing touchdowns and 66 rushing yards. Navarro's top target against the Falcons was redshirt sophomore tight end Mason Williams (Mogadore, Ohio), who set career highs in receptions (8) and yards (93) while also catching a touchdown. Ohio's other receiving touchdown went to junior wide receiver Chase Hendricks (St. Louis, Mo.), who contributed one catch for 25 yards. In the run game, Ohio was led by redshirt senior running back Sieh Bangura (Bowie, Md.), who had 115 rush yards.  

The Ohio defense forced four turnovers in the game, two of which were forced by graduate student linebacker Cameron Hollobaugh (Warren, Ohio). In the first half, Hollobaugh started the game with a pick-six before forcing a fumble to start the second half. Also involved in the turnovers was redshirt sophomore defensive end Jay Crable (Massillon, Ohio), who recorded a pressure on the interception and a recovery on the fumble. Crable's incredible game also included a program-record tying three sacks. Leading Ohio in tackles was again redshirt junior linebacker Michael Molnar (Mason, Ohio) with 10. To end the game, redshirt sophomore cornerback DJ Walker (Alquippa, Pa.) hauled in an interception to end Bowling Green's hopes at a comeback.  

The Bobcat defense got things started in dramatic fashion with a Hollobaugh pick-six on the first drive of the game to take the lead. The interception set the tone for the Bobcats' first half.  

"(Hollobaugh) continues to get better," Smith said. "He's a kid that's just an athlete... The thing that stood out to me when we started recruiting him was that he was a multi-sport athlete, and he was also a really good baseball player in college. As a two-sport athlete, you can see a lot of that transitioning, where he can make plays with the ball in his hands." 

The Falcon offense responded after the pick-six with a long-scoring drive. With just over 10 minutes to play in the first half, the score was already 7-7.  

Navarro and the offense took the field for the first time after a dramatic first five minutes of the game. The Bobcat offense marched down the field into Bowling Green territory, which included a crucial fourth-down conversion in enemy territory. One play after the conversion, Navarro found Williams in the middle of the field for a 19-yard receiving touchdown.  

On the ensuing Bowling Green offensive drive, Ohio found success on defense by means of a red zone stop that forced a field goal. With 1:41 to play in the first quarter, the Bobcats held a 14-10 lead.  

After a few stalled drives from both teams, Ohio found the end zone again midway through the second quarter with a 25-yard passing completion from Navarro to Hendricks.

Facing a 21-10 deficit, the Bowling Green offense once again marched down the field into Bobcat territory. This time, instead of allowing points, Pearson made a huge play for Ohio, intercepting a pass inside the end zone to swing momentum back in Ohio's favor.  

Despite the interception, Bowling Green found a way to get more points on the board late in the half with a field goal inside the one-minute mark. Going into the half, Ohio held a 21-13 lead.  

Ohio's string of big defensive plays continued into the third quarter. After the offense turned the ball over on consecutive drives, Hollobaugh again forced a turnover with a forced fumble recovered by Crable that set up the Ohio offense in Bowling Green territory.  

Midway through the third quarter, Navarro struck with a five-yard rushing touchdown to take a 28-13 lead.  

Playing with a lead, the defense just got better. In the third quarter alone, Crable had two sacks that stalled critical Bowling Green drives. 

Going into the fourth, Ohio had a 28-13 lead. 

The Falcons didn't go away easily in the fourth quarter. To start the game's final period, Bowling Green took the ball down the field and made it a one-score game at 28-20.

Still playing with a lead, the Ohio offense put together one last scoring drive to put Bowling Green away. Navarro broke a few tackles on the way to the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the game, a 34-yard rush to make it 35-20.  

On Bowling Green's final drive of the game, Walker made one last big play for the defense, coming down with Ohio's third interception and fourth turnover.  

The Bobcats handed the ball to Bangura in the game's final moments until the clock hit zero, securing their 35-10 win.  

The Bobcats will be back in action Saturday, Oct. 4, when they go on the road to take on Ball State. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN+.  

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