Bobcats Top RedHawks on Final Play, 24-21
11/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
OXFORD, Ohio – Quinten Rollins picked off two passes and scored his first career touchdown to help the Miami football team race out to a 21-0 lead, but Ohio scored 24 unanswered points to top the RedHawks, 24-21, at Yager Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Bobcats (6-6, 4-4 Mid-American) never led until Josh Yazdani hit a 28-yard field goal on the game’s final play.
After forcing a quick punt, the RedHawks (2-10, 2-6 MAC) marched 73 yards in 11 plays to the end zone on their opening drive. Miami passed on the first seven plays of the drive, but Andrew Hendrix’ 20-yard scramble on third-and-3 was the key play to extend the drive, moving the ball to the Ohio 20. Hendrix capped the scoring drive three plays later when he rushed up the middle for a three-yard score to give MU an early 7-0 lead.
The Bobcats countered by moving the ball into RedHawk territory on their second possession. Ohio appeared poised to put points on the board, but Joe Donlan broke through the line and sacked Derrius Vick for an eight-yard loss back to the 36-yard line, knocking the Bobcats out of field goal range and forcing a punt in the process.
With Miami still up 7-0 in the second quarter, the defense added some breathing room when Rollins jumped a route at the sideline and weaved through the OU offense for a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown. The senior’s first-career touchdown and sixth interception of the season put the Red and White on top 14-0 with 10:42 to go in the half.
After forcing a three-and-out, Hendrix was razor sharp on an eight play, 78 yard scoring drive. The senior completed 4-of-5 passes for 62 yards while rushing for 15 more in an efficient drive that included a nice deep ball to Jared Murphy to the Ohio 13. Hendrix finished the drive off by finding Dawan Scott under pressure and Scott turned up field for a 13-yard touchdown that made it a 21-0 Miami lead with under five minutes to play in the half.
Just as it appeared the RedHawks were poised to pull away, the Bobcats got a big play from their special teams when Kylan Nelson returned the ensuing kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown to cut the MU lead to 21-7. OU forced MU to go three-and-out and brought JD Sprague in at quarterback looking for a spark on offense. Ohio drove to Miami’s 38-yard line, but the RedHawks’ defense stepped up once again when Tony Reid picked off Sprague to quell that drive and keep the Red and White on top 21-7 at the half.
The Bobcats forced a RedHawk punt on the first possession of the second half and proceeded to drive the ball deep into Miami territory when Sprague hit Sebastian Smith deep down the sideline for 39 yards to the seven-yard line. Rollins put a stop to that drive two plays later when he showed impressive hops by leaping in the end zone for his second interception.
Miami’s momentum was short lived as a fumble three plays into the ensuing possession was recovered by Kendrick Smith and returned to the MU 14. Two plays later, Vick came back under center and found A.J. Oulette uncovered in the end zone from 13-yards out to pull within one possession at 21-14.
The Red and White came up empty on their next two possessions with a three-and-out followed by an interception that set the Bobcats up at the RedHawks’ 41-yard line. It appeared that Miami would hold Ohio to just a field goal when J’Terius Jones sacked Vick on third-and-goal from the one, but a facemask penalty nullified the play and Vick would take advantage of the new set of downs by finding Jordan Reid from five yards out to tie the game at 21 apiece with 11:28 to go in the fourth quarter.
A promising Miami drive on the ensuing possession bogged down near midfield and Ohio had an opportunity to win the game after driving the field to the 26-yard line. With the Bobcats facing a third-and-2, Jones and Heath Harding combined for a big stop to tackle Oullette a yard shy of the sticks. Josh Yazdani’s 42-yard field goal attempt for OU’s first lead sailed wide left and gave Miami an opportunity with 1:47 showing on the clock.
The RedHawks picked up first downs on consecutive plays as Hendrix scrambled 14 yards to the sideline and then found Alex Welch for 16 yards to the Bobcats’ 45. A dropped deep pass on the next play was followed by two more incomplete passes, forcing Miami to punt with 1:08 to go. After two Vick scrambles gained 13 combined yards, Vick hit Chase Cochran near midfield for 18 yards and found Brendan Cope down the sideline for 38 yards to the Miami 11 with 2.9 seconds left. That play set up Yazdani from 28 yards out and his kick gave Ohio its only lead of the night as time expired.
Ohio narrowly outgained Miami 353-317, though the RedHawks were +1 in turnover margin after forcing three Bobcat interceptions. In his final game under center, Hendrix put up 288 yards of total offense (218 passing, 70 rushing) and accounted for both of MU’s offensive touchdowns with one rushing score and one passing touchdown. Murphy led all players with 91 receiving yards while OU’s Oullette accounted for a game-high 96 yards on the ground.
The RedHawks finish Chuck Martin’s first season as head coach with a 2-10 record and a 2-6 mark in the Mid-American Conference, a two-win improvement from 2013. Nine of their 12 games were decided by 10 points or less, including seven by one possession, something that only occurred twice during the 2013 campaign.
