On an afternoon dedicated to Ohio’s 19 seniors, the class surely didn’t disappoint during their final game at Peden Stadium.
Four seniors accounted for 28 of Ohio’s points in the Bobcats 51-23 win against Massachusetts on Friday.
The celebration got off to a quick start for Ohio (7-5, 4-4 Mid-American Conference) when redshirt senior running back Beau Blankenship rushed 50 yards and scored on Ohio’s second play from scrimmage.
On the Bobcats’ ensuing possession, Blankenship recorded a 15-yard scamper that culminated with redshirt senior quarterback Tyler Tettleton finding wide receiver Chase Cochran in the back of the endzone for a two-yard touchdown, as Ohio raced out to a 14-0 lead.
After the Bobcats’ first eight offensive plays, they had scored 14 points, but UMass answered with a 42-yard field goal by kicker Brendon Levengood to cut the Ohio’s lead to 14-3.
After a Tettleton fumble forced by UMass defensive back Trey Dudley- early in the second quarter, the Minutemen regained possession and shortly after, redshirt sophomore cornerback Devin Bass was called for pass interference at the 17-yard line.
Following the Bobcat penalty, UMass running back Shadrack Abrokwah rushed for a three-yard touchdown and cut the Bobcats’ lead to 14-10.
However, the Bobcats regained momentum after redshirt senior cornerback Travis Carrie picked off UMass sophomore quarterback A.J. Doyle for a 65-yard touchdown later in the quarter.
The Minutemen then bobbled the ensusuing kickoff and Ohio recovered.
After Tettleton found redshirt senior wide out Mario Dovell for a 12-yard gain, redshirt senior running back Ryan Boykin rushed for a six-yard touchdown. The Bobcats went into halftime with a 31-10 lead after scoring 17 unanswered points.
"I think any time you have an opportunity to get a pick-six, I think the momentum change is huge," Carrie said. "And then right after that, we had the dropped kickoff, which was excellent by the special teams as well. We were able to execute, which really changed the game."
Carrie went on to finish the day with a pair of pick-sixes, as he sealed the Ohio victory in the fourth quarter with a 30-yard return for a touchdown after an interception.
"I'm really pleased, obviously, to see them bounce back and play what I thought was four quarters of pretty good football," Solich said. "For the most part, we played very hard and very well for four quarters. ... That's the way we wanted to end the season."
UMass attempted a comeback in the third quarter when Doyle connected for a 30-yard touchdown pass, before the Minuntemen then recovered a fumble that led to a 37-yard field goal by Levengood to cut their deficit to 31-20.
But Ohio regained control of the game and coasted to victory when Tettleton threw a touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Landon Smith for a four-yard score.
Redshirt sophomore kicker Josiah Yazdani made three field goals on the day and concluded the regular season perfect on each of his 12 field goal attempts.
Tettleton threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, while Blankenship finished the day with 124 yards and a score of his own.
"It's kind of bittersweet to leave," Blankenship said. "We've built some stuff up and hopefully the next teams will carry it on."
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