Tuesday, November 3
Akron, OH
7 p.m. ET
at
Akron
10/31/2026 12:56:00 PM | Football
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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio football team (6-2, 4-0 MAC) heads north to take on Akron in midweek MACtion on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The Bobcats will look to stay perfect in MAC play and extend their overall win streak to six games. Kickoff at InfoCision Stadium is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN2 with Eric Rothman and Dustin Fox on the call. The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on The Varsity Sports Network. Veteran Ohio radio personality Marty Bannister is reprising his role as Ohio's play-by-play broadcaster. Bannister will be joined by color analyst Rob Cornelius, who has been part of the broadcasts for more than two decades.
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SERIES HISTORY
This matchup marks the 34th time the two teams have clashed, with Ohio seeking their eighth straight win against Akron. The last time the Bobcats faced the Zips, Ohio came out victorious, 30-10, after quarterback Parker Navarro and wide receiver Coleman Owen connected for two touchdowns.
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SCOUTING AKRON
Akron will be coming off a week nine bye after dropping their previous six matchups. Akron fell 35-20 in their previous matchup at Kent State. Despite the defeat, the Zips out gained the Golden Flashes 422-376 total yards and rushed for 147 yards. Running back Jordan Gant led the offense with 162 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, while quarterback Brayden Roggow completed 20-of-34 passes for 275 yards. Wide receiver Kyan Mason led the team with 129 yards on seven receptions, and Miles Burris added four receptions for 72 yards. Akron held a 17-14 lead before Kent State scored 21 unanswered points to ultimately win the game. Defensively, Dwight Nunoo recorded a career-high 11 tackles, while Aamii Branch finished with four tackles and two pass breakups.
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THE LAST TIME OUT
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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio football team (6-2, 4-0 MAC) heads north to take on Akron in midweek MACtion on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The Bobcats will look to stay perfect in MAC play and extend their overall win streak to six games. Kickoff at InfoCision Stadium is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN2 with Eric Rothman and Dustin Fox on the call. The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on The Varsity Sports Network. Veteran Ohio radio personality Marty Bannister is reprising his role as Ohio's play-by-play broadcaster. Bannister will be joined by color analyst Rob Cornelius, who has been part of the broadcasts for more than two decades.
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SERIES HISTORY
This matchup marks the 34th time the two teams have clashed, with Ohio seeking their eighth straight win against Akron. The last time the Bobcats faced the Zips, Ohio came out victorious, 30-10, after quarterback Parker Navarro and wide receiver Coleman Owen connected for two touchdowns.
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SCOUTING AKRON
Akron will be coming off a week nine bye after dropping their previous six matchups. Akron fell 35-20 in their previous matchup at Kent State. Despite the defeat, the Zips out gained the Golden Flashes 422-376 total yards and rushed for 147 yards. Running back Jordan Gant led the offense with 162 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, while quarterback Brayden Roggow completed 20-of-34 passes for 275 yards. Wide receiver Kyan Mason led the team with 129 yards on seven receptions, and Miles Burris added four receptions for 72 yards. Akron held a 17-14 lead before Kent State scored 21 unanswered points to ultimately win the game. Defensively, Dwight Nunoo recorded a career-high 11 tackles, while Aamii Branch finished with four tackles and two pass breakups.
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THE LAST TIME OUT
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. Â
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.Â
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. Â
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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. Â
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. Â
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. Â
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. Â
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.Â
The Eagles got three more before halftime, taking a 13-10 lead into the break. Â
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.Â
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Eastern Michigan took the lead with less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter, going up 20-17. Â
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.Â
His second kickoff return touchdown of the season was also the longest kickoff return touchdown for Ohio since 2018. Â
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. Â
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#OUohyeahWith 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.Â
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. Â
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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. Â
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. Â
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. Â
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. Â
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.Â
The Eagles got three more before halftime, taking a 13-10 lead into the break. Â
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.Â
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Eastern Michigan took the lead with less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter, going up 20-17. Â
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.Â
His second kickoff return touchdown of the season was also the longest kickoff return touchdown for Ohio since 2018. Â
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. Â
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