MUNCIE, Ind. — Ohio defeated Ball State on Saturday at Scheumann Stadium behind 447 total offensive yards and two turnovers from its defense. The Bobcats are now in prime position to take hold of the Mid-American East Division and appear to be legitimate threats to win the MAC Championship.
Here’s fast reactions from the win:
Defensive turnaround
Ohio’s defense has turned things around at the perfect time.
The Bobcats held the Cardinals, who entered Saturday with the top-ranked offense in the MAC, to 351 total yards and three touchdowns. The monsoon-like conditions might have helped, but that didn’t seem possible after Ohio had allowed opponents to score over 38 points in the last two weeks.
Now, the defense appears to be clicking just in time for Ohio to comfortably win the MAC East Division. There’s still plenty of work left, but the Bobcats deserve credit for making noticeable improvements to its defensive problems.
Tuggle’s efficiency is key
A heavy run game was expected from Ohio regardless of the weather conditions. O’Shaan Allison briefly returned from an injury sustained last week, but it was De’Montre Tuggle who carried the Bobcats run game in the redzone.
The junior running back scored two rushing touchdowns and received 12 carries for 49 yards. His 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the Bobcats the boost they needed to keep rolling on offense, and Tuggle did a quality job filling in as the second running back for Julian Ross, who did not play.
Tuggle gives Ohio one of the deepest running back groups in the conference, and is currently leads the Bobcats with seven rushing touchdowns.
Ohio is in great shape
Ball State was the last team to hold a perfect conference record. The Cardinals were one of the most complete teams in the MAC, and the Bobcats still orchestrated a comfortable win.
The win should put Ohio as firm favorites to win the MAC East and punch a ticket to Detroit. The Bobcats have to defeat Miami on Nov. 6 to keep things that way, but they’re playing their best football of the season and have shown significant improvements on both sides of the ball.
