Ohio Football Wins Thriller Against Eastern Michigan

Saturday, October 24

Athens, OH

4 p.m. ET

6-2 , 4-0

Eastern Michigan

4-5 , 3-2

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Eastern Mich.	0	13	0	7	20
Ohio	7	3	7	7	24

Ohio Notes EMU Notes Digital Guide MAC Notes

10/24/2026 8:28:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: Charlie Fadel

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ATHENS, Ohio – A late kickoff return and a game-ending goal line stand, the Ohio football team (6-2, 4-0 MAC) pulled off a thrilling win over Eastern Michigan (4-5, 3-2 MAC) on Saturday by a score of 24-20.

With the win, Ohio clinched bowl eligibility and extended the nation's longest home winning streak to 17 straight wins. Ohio is also 4-0 in MAC play for the first time since 1997.

"Excited to get number 17, number four for this group at home," Ohio head coach John Hauser said. "It was big for us to find a way to win this game."

Individually, graduate student Quarterback Nick Poulos (Granite Bay, Calif.) threw for 266 yards and a touchdown and had 22 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Riley Neer (Bellefontaine, Ohio) had five catches for 56 yards while fellow redshirt sophomore wide receiver Dom Dorwart (Leonardtown, Md.) had four catches for a career-high 126 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, redshirt senior Michael Molnar (Mason, Ohio) led Ohio with 18 tackles and four tackles for loss. Redshirt senior linebacker Jack Fries (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 10 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, including two sacks. Redshirt junior safety DJ Walker (Aliquippa, Pa) had eight tackles, while redshirt junior safety Darren James-Hamilton had six tackles, an interception, and a kickoff return touchdown.

After both teams got stops on defense, Poulos' first completed pass of the game went 78 yards to Dorwart for a touchdown to put the Bobcats ahead with five minutes left in the first. The throw and catch were Poulos' longest career pass and Dorwart's longest career catch. The 7-0 score was held through the end of the quarter thanks to stout defense from the Bobcats.

The second quarter opened with a big defensive play for Ohio; Bannister broke up a pass downfield, teeing up James-Hamilton for an interception after the ball was tipped into the air.

Eastern Michigan got on the board with a defensive touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 with 12:57 remaining in the second quarter.

The Bobcats' defense stood tall as the Eagles got into the red zone, forcing an Eagles field goal that left them trailing 10-7 with just under five minutes left in the second quarter. Ohio answered with a field goal of its own after the two-minute warning; graduate student kicker Will Hryszko (Strongsville, Ohio) booted a 49-yard field goal through the uprights to tie the game, 10-10.

The Eagles got three more before halftime, taking a 13-10 lead into the break.

Neither team scored for the majority of the third quarter, but the Bobcats took the lead with less than a minute left in the third quarter after a one-yard touchdown run from Poulos, his second rushing touchdown of the season to make it a 17-13 game in favor of Ohio.

Eastern Michigan took the lead with less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter, going up 20-17.

The Bobcats answered back on the very next play, with James-Hamilton taking the kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown to retake the lead, going up 24-20.

His second kickoff return touchdown of the season was also the longest kickoff return touchdown for Ohio since 2018.

Eastern Michigan pushed for a final score, but on the last play of the game, the Bobcat defense forced an incomplete pass to win the game, 24-20.

Up next, midweek MACtion starts for the Bobcats as they hit the road to take on the Akron Zips next Tuesday, Nov. 3. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

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