Ohio Football Set for Battle of the Bricks

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ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio football team (7-2, 5-0 MAC) heads to Oxford, Ohio, to take on rival Miami in midweek MACtion on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The Bobcats will look to stay perfect in MAC play and extend their overall win streak to seven games. Kickoff at Yager Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN2 with Clay Matvick and Rocky Boiman 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.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MIAMI (OH)
This matchup marks the 58th Battle for the Bricks, with Ohio seeking their third win in a row against Miami, and their 27th victory over their rival. The Bobcats' last matchup against the RedHawks was a 24-20 home win, thanks to running back Sieh Bangura rushing for over 100 yards and linebacker Charlie Christopher recording double-digit tackles. The rivalry has gone back and forth, but one of the most notable moments was the 2024 Mid-American Conference Championship game, where Ohio dominated Miami, 38-3, the largest margin of victory in a MAC Championship game, and Ohio's first since 1968.

SCOUTING MIAMI (OH)
Miami enters the matchup after a 34-31 overtime loss to Buffalo that snapped the RedHawks' three-game winning streak. Miami led 31-16 late in the third quarter before Buffalo rallied with 18 unanswered points to force overtime and eventually secure the win. Miami built a 17-10 halftime lead and extended its advantage with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and a pair of third-quarter interceptions.

Offensively, Miami recorded a balanced attack behind running back D'Shawntae Jones, who rushed for a career-high 112 yards on 17 carries. Wide receiver Scoop Smith scored two touchdowns, including a blocked-punt recovery in the end zone and a rushing touchdown, while Braylon Isom posted a career high six receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the RedHawks generated two interceptions, including the first career pick by Toney Coleman Jr. and another by CJ Young, who became Miami's first player with multiple interceptions this season. Miami's special teams unit also made a significant impact, blocking a punt that resulted in a touchdown.

THE LAST TIME OUT

The Ohio football team (7-2, 5-0 MAC) went on the road to start midweek MACtion, facing off against Akron (1-8, 0-5 MAC) in a game where a second-half surge lifted the Bobcats to a 28-20 win.

Individually, graduate student quarterback Nick Poulos (Granite Bay, Calif) threw for 197 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 45 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Dom Dorwart (Leonardtown, Md) had four catches for 108 yards and a touchdown while fellow redshirt wide receiver Riley Neer (Bellefontaine, Ohio) had four catches for 54 yards. Junior running back Duncan Brune had 111 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, redshirt senior linebacker Michael Molnar (Mason, Ohio) had 16 tackles and a tackle for loss while redshirt senior linebacker Jack Fries (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 10 tackles. Redshirt junior safety DJ Walker (Aliquippa, Pa) had four tackles, and an interception returned for a touchdown. Senior defensive lineman Nehemiah Dukes (Douglasville, Ga) had three tackles and two tackles for loss.

Ohio's defense stood tall on the game's opening drive, forcing a 40-yard field goal that Akron missed. When the Zips regained possession, they sunk a 42-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 3:36 remaining in the quarter.

After the Bobcat offense was forced to punt, Walker jumped a route at the 45-yard line and raced to the end zone for a pick-six, giving Ohio a 7-3 lead with 19 seconds remaining in the first quarter. This marked Walker's first interception of the season and first career touchdown.

The Bobcats' defense stepped up again on the ensuing drive. As Akron was nearing the red zone, James-Hamilton forced a fumble, and Fries recovered to give Ohio the ball back.

Just before the two-minute warning in the second quarter, Akron cut Ohio's lead to 7-6 with a 47-yard field goal.

The Zips opened scoring in the second half, adding another field goal to take a 9-7 lead after the Bobcat defense held strong on the goal line.

Ohio responded on the next drive, with Poulos finding Dorwart for a big gain to put the Bobcats inside the five-yard line. A few plays later, Poulos scored the game's first offensive touchdown with a 5-yard run to take a 14-9 lead with just under five minutes to play in the third quarter.

With 9:35 left in the fourth quarter, Akron got its first touchdown of the game, punching it in to put the score at 17-14 after a successful two-point conversion.

It took just one play for Ohio to respond, with Poulos finding Dorwart again, this time for a one-play, 60-yard touchdown to take a 21-17 lead.

The Zips' offense drove down the field, but the Bobcat defense yet again refused to break, holding Akron out of the end zone and getting off the field after forcing a turnover on downs.

That turnover on downs gave Ohio the ball at its own nine-yard line, and one play was all that was needed again. Brune was able to burst through the line of scrimmage, outpacing the Akron defense for a 91-yard touchdown, the fourth-longest touchdown in Ohio history and the longest run for Brune to take a 28-17 lead.

Akron got into range again on the ensuing possession, converting a 40-yard field goal to cut the Ohio lead to 28-20 after the two-minute timeout.

After an onside kick, Ohio ran out the clock and ended the game with a final score of 28-20, extending its five-game winning streak in the MAC and starting 5-0 in conference play for the first time since 1997.

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Players Mentioned

Sieh Bangura

Duncan Brune

Charlie Christopher

Dom Dorwart

Nehemiah Dukes

Jack Fries

Michael Molnar

Riley Neer

Nick Poulos

DJ Walker

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