There's a saying in sports that's been told time and time again.
"A win is a win."
Ohio got just that on Saturday with a 17-7 victory in Oxford over Miami. But for the Bobcats, that doesn't tell the entire story.
The entire story is this: it wasn't a pretty win.
The matchup didn't have a big comeback, late-game drama or any big plays. It was just a football game that took place in a half-empty stadium.
For Ohio, which has conference championship aspirations, the result matters more than the process. But with more talented teams lined up down the road, that performance better improve rapidly.
Here are three takeaways from Saturday's win:
1. Ohio can win ugly
Every team has to win an ugly game, a game the team isn't at its best, a game to burn the film of.
But that's the mark of great teams –– winning.
The Bobcats offense was non-existent for long stretches of Saturday's game. The running game rushed for 141 yards, and Greg Windham only threw the ball for 56 yards on 7-of-18 passing.
Ohio's longest play of the afternoon was an 18-yard pass to Jordan Reid.
The offensive line, one of the team's brightest units this season, allowed four sacks against the RedHawks. That's two more sacks than the Bobcats had previously allowed in the first four games combined.
It seemed that nothing worked right for the Bobcats on offense, which punted six times throughout the afternoon. Playmaking receiver Sebastian Smith caught his first pass in the third quarter and was only targeted twice.
But although the offense struggled, it wasn't all bad news.
2. The defense might be stronger than everyone thought
The Bobcats defense, more specifically their front seven, came to the rescue again.
With the offense stuck in neutral, Ohio's defense stopped the run and got after the quarterback the entire afternoon. Kevin Robbins stuck the final nail in the RedHawks coffin on Saturday as he scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery in the end zone with 1:30 remaining in the game.
After five games, Ohio's defense has 21 sacks — that puts the Bobcats tied for first in the nation.
Miami only rushed the ball for 33 yards due in large part to the strong defensive line play, but also linebackers Chad Moore and Blair Brown. Both linebackers had nine tackles.
But the most welcome news came from the secondary.
Toran Davis and Javon Hagan both had interceptions on the day, with Hagan's coming from the Bobcats own end zone. He returned the ball 60 yards and out of danger in the first quarter.
With Miami freshman quarterback Noah Wezensky in for injured starter Billy Bahl, Wezensky looked sharper than expected. He threw for 154 yards and a touchdown.
But Miami never really threatened to take the lead throughout the afternoon, a testament to the strong Ohio defense.
3. An almost near-win on the schedule
Ten of the last 11 times the Bobcats and RedHawks have faced off, the Bobcats have come away victorious. That includes the last four games, in which Ohio has won all of.
That isn't unusual for the series, however. From 1985-2005, Miami beat Ohio all but four times (there was one tie).
But for now, Ohio owns the Battle of the Bricks. Although the games haven't been necessarily blowouts, the results have all been the same.
That typical win on the schedule is now of the utmost importance for the Bobcats, now 1-0 in the Mid-American Conference. Ohio now has a chance to put MAC East foe Bowling Green in a huge, essentially three-game hole after just the second week of MAC play.
So if the Bobcats are able to jump out in front of the MAC East standings, as they're now probably favored to do, remember it all started with an ugly win against an 0-5 rival.
