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ATHENS, Ohio– In front of a record-setting 26,740 fans, Ohio triumphed in a thrilling 17-10 home opener win against West Virginia. In a hard-fought defensive battle, the Bobcats held on for a narrow victory. 
 
"(This game) is a great reflection of the coaching staff that we have, the job that they do mentoring and developing our players, and the respect everyone has for the culture here that's been built for a long time," Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. "So, I'm really proud of the group and the staff."
 
In a defensive-first battle, junior wide receiver Chase Hendricks (St. Louis, Mo.) stood out on the offensive end with 121 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. The running game for Ohio also found a lot of success, with 182 total rushing yards, including 87 from graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro (Tempe, Ariz.) and 66 from redshirt senior running back Sieh Bangura (Bowie, Md.).
 
On defense, junior tackle Nehemiah Dukes (Douglasville, Ga.) had a breakout game with six tackles, including one sack and one tackle for loss. Sophomore safety DJ Walker (Aliquippa, Pa.) led Ohio with seven tackles, including five solo stops.
 
"The ability to stop the run on early downs is the most important thing when you're dealing with a team like that," Smith said. "They (the defense) did a great job. Obviously, the front six were in the backfield quite a bit."
 
Ohio's trio of linebackers stood out against West Virginia, with redshirt juniors Michael Molnar (Mason, Ohio) and Jack Fries (Cincinnati, Ohio) each recording seven tackles. Molnar led Ohio with 1.5 sacks. Graduate student linebacker Cameron Hollobaugh (Warren, Ohio) made one of the biggest plays of the game with a fourth-quarter interception in Ohio territory. 
 
"We knew what we had to do to execute, especially looking at last week and going into this week. We always talked about how the biggest jump was going from week one to week two, and I felt we made that jump as a defense," Dukes said. 
 
On special teams, redshirt sophomore kicker Brack Peacock (Granbury, Texas) made his first field goal in the green and white on a 37-yard attempt to start the scoring for the Bobcats. Graduate student punter Magnus Haines (Massillon, Ohio) made a significant impact with four punts, including a punt that traveled a career-long 49 yards. 
 
West Virginia scored early in the first quarter, wrapping up a quick drive with a long rush into the end zone. After a score to open the game, the Ohio defense shut down West Virginia for the remainder of the first half. 
 
Navarro and the offense responded with a 60-yard field goal drive that was highlighted by a 38-yard reception by Hendricks. Peacock ended the drive with a 37-yard field goal, his first as a Bobcat. 
 
Once the offense got a score on the board, the Ohio defense played some of its best football. The West Virginia offense was held to just 44 first-half yards after its first score. 
 
Ohio was able to take the lead with 2:36 to play in the first half after a 12-play, 71-yard scoring drive that elapsed six minutes. Bangura ended the drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown that was set up by an impressive 15-yard rush into the red zone on third and seven from Navarro. 
 
After a quick stop on defense, the Bobcat passing attack came alive with just 1:44 to play in the half. Four straight passes of 10-plus yards got Ohio its second touchdown of the day on a drive that lasted just seconds. The big play of the drive was a 37-yard passing touchdown score to Hendricks. 
 
After his second straight 100-yard game, Hendricks credits his recent success to his relationship with Navarro.
 
"I think our relationship outside of football helps the connection on the field grow," Hendricks said. "He knows where I'm going to be on certain routes; we're on the same tempo."
 
Going into the half, Ohio held a 17-7 lead over West Virginia. 
 
The defense-heavy contest continued in the second half despite a field goal from the Mountaineers on their first drive out of the locker room. While the Ohio offense slowed down, the defense rose to the occasion with stops on the game's final six drives. 
 
Plays from Dukes and Hollobaugh highlighted a fourth quarter where the Bobcats were nearly flawless on the defensive end. On a third down, backed up in their own territory, Dukes wrapped up the quarterback alongside junior defensive tackle Derek Reagans (San Francisco, Calif.) for a sack that forced a punt. 
 
Later in the quarter, West Virginia had a third down in Ohio territory with 3:13 to play, down by one score. After a quarterback hurry by Reagans and redshirt sophomore defensive end Jay Crable (Massillon, Ohio) forced an errant pass, Hollobaugh intercepted the ball and set Ohio up to win the game. 
 
On the game's final drive, Navarro converted a third and nine with a 10-yard run that sealed the win for the Bobcats. 
 
The Bobcats return to action on Saturday, Sept. 13, when they hit the road to take on Ohio State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Ohio Stadium and can be seen on Peacock. 
 
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