Ohio led 17-0 in the second quarter and lost 34-17 at Miami on Tuesday night, as the RedHawks scored 34 straight points to win the 103rd Battle of the Bricks at Yager Stadium in Oxford and hand the Bobcats their first Mid-American Conference loss of the season, according to Ohio University’s official recap.
Ohio (7-3 overall, 5-1 MAC) built the lead quickly, Ohio Athletics reported. Graduate quarterback Nick Poulos found redshirt sophomore Riley Neer for an eight-yard touchdown on the opening drive, and after a fumbled punt return gave Ohio the ball back, junior Duncan Brune scored from one yard out on fourth-and-one for a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. A 27-yard Brack Peacock field goal made it 17-0.
Miami (6-4, 4-2 MAC) answered with a touchdown a minute before halftime — a 15-yard wide-receiver pass from Scoop Smith to Maleek Huggins — to cut it to 17-7, Miami University’s official recap reported. The end of the half also brought the night’s strangest moment: the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Miami was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for showing depictions of field-goal uprights on the videoboard during an Ohio field-goal attempt, and Ohio’s fake-field-goal try that followed was stopped in the end zone, Miami’s recap reported.
The second half was all Miami. The RedHawks closed to 17-14 in the third quarter, tied the game on a field goal in the opening minute of the fourth, and took their first lead, 20-17, on another field goal with under four minutes left, according to Ohio’s recap. A forced fumble with 1:55 to play set up a 48-yard D’Shawntae Jones touchdown run, and a 58-yard pick-six on Ohio’s next snap sealed the 34-17 final, Miami’s recap reported.
Freshman Drew Bellisari, who came off the bench in relief of injured starter Caleb Heavner, threw for 99 yards and ran for 64 for Miami, and Jones finished with a career-high 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns, according to Miami’s recap. For Ohio, Poulos threw for 193 yards and a touchdown and ran for 63, Brune had 47 rushing yards and a score, and Neer had 74 receiving yards and a touchdown, Ohio Athletics reported. Linebacker Michael Molnar led Ohio’s defense with eight tackles and an interception.
“Crazy, crazy, crazy,” Miami head coach Chuck Martin said, according to Miami’s recap. “Against a good team, to come from down 17? … I’ve been proud of a lot of wins in my life, but I haven’t been more proud of a group.” The win made Miami bowl-eligible in front of a Yager Stadium crowd of 17,156, and Miami now leads the series 57-44-2, Miami’s recap reported.
What happens next: Ohio returns home to Peden Stadium in Athens to host Ball State on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m., in a game set for ESPNU, ESPN2 or CBS Sports Network, Ohio Athletics reported. Miami travels to Kent State the same night.
Photo: OhioOat, CC BY-SA