Ohio lost for the first time in its Mid-American Conference schedule after a 30-27 duel with Central Michigan on Saturday.
The Bobcats, with a new starting quarterback, built on some of the success from their win against Akron but fell short when they failed to answer the Chippewas’ late scoring. The score was the same as Ohio’s loss to Central Michigan in 2020.
Here are The Post’s fast reactions to Ohio’s 30-27 loss to Central Michigan:
Rogers plays full-time
After playing the entirety of the second half against Akron, Armani Rogers continued to take sole possession of the quarterback position in his first career start with Ohio. While Rogers has been used mostly for his rushing abilities in the past, he had a mostly even mix of runs and passes against Central Michigan.
Rogers completed 13-of-18 passing attempts for 190 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He completed two passes of 39 yards or more in the first half against Central Michigan’s pass defense that’s ranked the lowest in the Mid-American Conference. He ran for 37 yards and a touchdown on 15 rushes against the Chippewas’ conference-leading run defense.
Big plays make a difference late
Ohio contained Central Michigan quarterback Daniel Richardson decently in the first half, allowing only 100 yards on nine completions with an interception. His longest completion was just 23 yards. In the second half, the Bobcats’ defense had a bit tougher of a time with Richardson. He threw for 157 yards after halftime, including a 28-yard touchdown pass to Kalil Pimpleton in the fourth quarter. Richardson also completed five passes of at least 26 yards in the final two quarters.
Drake makes a statement
Tariq Drake had two career interceptions with Ohio going into Saturday. He doubled that number against Central Michigan, picking off Daniel Richardson twice on the afternoon. His first countered a fumble by Tuggle that gave Central Michigan starting field position in Ohio territory.
Drake’s interceptions were the Bobcats’ second and third of the season, making him the first on the defense to come away with multiple this season.
