Ohio lost 31-29 in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.
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MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Midway through the third quarter, linebacker Jovon Johnson stripped an Appalachian State running back and ran into the end zone with his right arm stretched out in celebration.
Ohio was leading 24-7.
With less than 30 seconds left in the game, Johnson was crouched down, moments away from a Mountaineer walk-off field goal.
Ohio lost 31-29.
Neither Johnson’s touchdown nor his forced safety were enough for the Bobcats, who lost to the Appalachian State Mountaineers in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl on Saturday night.
“It’s football,” Johnson said. “You have to tip your hat off to App. State for using their momentum to get themselves back into the ball game.”
After Appalachian State got out to a 7-0 lead, Ohio scored 17 points in 71 seconds to go up 17-7 at halftime.
With Johnson’s snatch-and-run touchdown, the Bobcats were in control of the game.
But then the Mountaineers went on to score 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including 14 points in 42 seconds off interceptions from Ohio quarterback JD Sprague.
Despite the defense’s scoring — it produced 16 points — it was the offense that failed to preserve the sizable lead.
“When the defense is scoring, usually you’re in a position to win the ball game,” Johnson said. “And we were in a position to win the ball game. We just couldn’t get plays done.”
When Johnson picked up his safety with 6:06 remaining and Ohio down 28-26, the Bobcats slowly manufactured a drive to get down within the Appalachian State 5-yard line.
But after failing to pick up a first down, Josiah Yazdani converted a field goal to make it 29-28 with 1:47 left.
The Mountaineers responded with a nine-play, 73-yard drive that finished with a field goal as time expired.
The defense, which did well containing the Mountaineers throughout the contest, was picked apart, mainly by a 32-yard run from Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb to get to the Ohio 27.
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A 15-yard run from Jalin Moore brought the Mountaineers down to the Ohio 11-yard-line. Three plays later, they kicked the 23-yard game-winning field goal.
“I think (the seniors) went out pretty well,” Johnson said. “We had an 8-5 season. We put in a lot of hard work throughout the course of the season. I think we left everything out on the field tonight.”
@charliehatch_
gh181212@ohio.edu
