There’s something to be said for symmetry. There’s also value in explosiveness.
The Bobcats produced the former by implementing the latter Friday in their 45-14 win against the University of Louisiana-Monroe in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl, finishing a season of vast expectation by blowing the cover off their opponent in their lone postseason contest.
Ohio (9-4) began its season with a program-defining win against Penn State and won seven straight before slipping into an injury-induced lull in which it lost four of five Mid-American Conference games. Much of that was vindicated Friday, when the Bobcats finished off their fourth consecutive bowl with their second straight win, running away with the game by halftime, at which it led by 17.
Ohio’s 548 net yards set an Independence Bowl record, and its point total tied the bowl's all-time high.
Redshirt junior running back Beau Blankenship’s four rushing touchdowns set a new bar for future bowl combatants. It was also his ninth 100-yard game this season — an Ohio program record.
Ohio redshirt junior quarterback Tyler Tettleton looked every bit himself after swaying from his stalwart status late in the season, completing 13 of his 21 passes for 332 yards, a pair of touchdowns and an interception.
It didn’t take long for the Bobcats to show they had the upper hand, as Tettleton’s first play from scrimmage was a 28-yard pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Tyler Futrell. The second was a 51-yard jab to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Chase Cochran up the middle. The third — a three-and-a-half-lob to redshirt junior wide receiver Donte Foster — ended a three-play, 80-yard drive.
The Bobcats didn’t take long to get the ball back in their hands, as after a pair of Louisiana-Monroe (8-5) first downs, redshirt senior safety Gerald Moore picked off junior quarterback Keith Browning’s pass deep in his own territory for his first interception of the season.
“The one pick I got, he just really wasn’t looking off, so he was kind of easy to read,” Moore said.
Tettleton rolled left and rocketed a 17-yarder to Futrell for the Bobcats’ first play of the next drive. Then, after a pair of rushing attempts, Tettleton lofted a long spiral into man coverage down the right sideline to Cochran, who took it 68 yards for a score.
“We really liked our game plan coming into this,” Tettleton said. “We knew we would be able to throw downfield and those guys would make plays.”
The Warhawks' next drive ended with a fourth-and-one play near their 35-yard line, where Browning’s scramble was stopped dead because of a bone-rattling hit by Ohio redshirt senior defensive lineman Tremayne Scott inches from the first down marker with 1:30 remaining on the first quarter clock.
Ohio’s last drive of the quarter also signaled its first miscue, being that a miscommunication between Tettleton and his center, senior Skyler Allen, led to the ball falling to the turf and into the hands of the Warhawks.
It took only two plays for Browning to cash in on the Bobcats’ miscue, as he fired a 14-yard rocket up the middle to junior wide receiver Tavarese Maye to cap a 78-second, 53-yard drive.
The Bobcats bounced back, though, by upping their lead to 10 on their first drive of the quarter, driving 54 yards before knocking a 38-yard field goal through the uprights.
As encouraging as redshirt senior kicker Matt Weller’s field goal was for coach Frank Solich and company, Tettleton’s 22-yard scramble showed a renewed sense of purpose for the seemingly healthy man under center.
“He had a great ballgame,” Solich said. “It was typical of his style of play and what he can get accomplished on the football field, both running and throwing."
Louisiana-Monroe’s ensuing drive appeared to be fruitful, but when sophomore kicker Justin Manton drew back for a 43-yard attempt, Ohio redshirt freshman cornerback Ian Wells broke around the left side of the protection unit and tipped the kick out of harm’s way. The Bobcats recovered on their own 39-yard line.
On the very next play from scrimmage, Tettleton further proved his mettle, taking a lick while unleashing a lengthy 44-yard pass to Futrell, who was hauled down inside the Warhawks’ 17-yard line.
That’s where one would have thought the Bobcats’ first half charge would have ended — with a 28-yard field goal.
But Solich signaled for a fake, which was unsuccessful, being that holder Matt Weller, a redshirt junior, passed to a sophomore Tim Edmond, an ineligible receiver who was tackled short of a first down.
The Warhawks took over on their four-yard line after turning down the penalty.
Four plays later, the Bobcats were back in the end zone courtesy of an interception by Tremayne Scott at the Warhawks’ five-yard line and a two-yard dive by Blankenship.
Scott, who finished the game with a pair of sacks and an interception, had not suited up since week five because of injury.
Louisiana-Monroe’s final drive of the first half showcased Ohio's best defensive stand of the season. The Warhawks, which began their drive on their own 26-yard line with 4:50 remaining in the half, ran, passed and gambled their way to the Bobcats' one-yard line with 21 seconds left and a fresh set of downs.
From there, though, the Bobcats mounted a defensive stand for the ages, as Scott sacked Browning for nine yards before he threw three straight incompletions to end the half.
“We started separating ourselves from us, and they started to do some things that they don’t normally do,” Solich said.
Futrell opened the second half with a 34-yard reception, and Tettleton scrambled for 11 yards three plays later, setting up an early dagger in the already-depleted hopes on the Louisiana-Monroe sideline.
After taking a shot to Foster in the far corner of the end zone, on which the Warhawks were flagged for pass interference, Tettleton handed off to Blankenship, who added additional cushion to the Bobcats' lead with a one-yard touchdown run.
Ohio led 38-7 midway through the third quarter.
The Warhawks were able to string together a 66-yard scoring drive after the ensuing kickoff to bring their point total to double digits, but the Bobcats countered with a 43-yard post route pass to Cochran on their next play from scrimmage, as time wound down in the third quarter.
After switching end zones, the Bobcats wasted little time taking it to the house once again, as Blankenship ran home his fourth of the game from three yards out.
From that point forward, it was coasting time for the Bobcats, as some regulars were sent to the sideline in lieu of second-stringers, and a Gatorade bath was schemed for Solich.
There were plenty of smiles to go around for the 21-man senior class, which went out on a high note that seemed even sweeter because of the adversity it experienced through conference play.
“It was a great game for Bobcat fans — there’s no question about it,” Solich said. “We’re just so proud of our football team and how they’ve come through all the adversity of all the injuries and here at the end had a lot of time to prepare.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
