For 11 weeks, Ohio's defense has been the backbone of its entire team.
Up just 9-3 with time winding down, the Bobcats defense hit the field for one more stop.
They got it. Bradd Ellis knocked down a pass at the goal line and Ohio officially clinched its first season-long goal.
Ohio won the Mid-American Conference East against Akron with the help of a 9-3 victory over the Zips. It will be the Bobcats' first appearance in the MAC Championship game since 2011. The Bobcats finished the regular season at 8-4, 6-2 in the MAC.
Ohio has not won a MAC Championship since 1968.
It wasn't pretty, but for an Ohio team that only managed 301 yards on offense, it will certainly take a trip to the conference title game.
Ohio and Akron only combined for four field goals on the game.
Quinton Maxwell didn't have the best game on offense, routinely missing open receivers, but it was good enough. He went 14-for-25 for 169 yards passing. The ground game had trouble getting going as well, with Maleek Irons running for just 54 yards as the leading rusher.
Quentin Poling and Blair Brown led the Bobcats in tackles with nine, shutting down the Zips attack all night. Akron only totaled 231 yards of total offense.
Ohio will face the winner of the Western Michigan versus Toledo game this Friday in Detroit. The MAC Championship will be played at Ford Field in Detroit on Dec. 2.
For now, however, it's Ohio's time for celebration.
