Ohio’s final game of the season at Peden Stadium ended in disappointment after it lost 35-23 to Toledo on Tuesday night.
Its two-game win streak was snapped due to an inability to reach the end zone and a failure by the defense to halt Toledo’s rushing attack. Ohio folded against Toledo, and a November schedule that started off with success has been buckled by regression.
Here are a few quick reactions to Ohio’s 35-23 loss to Toledo:
Defense dismantled
Ohio’s defense held Toledo for the first quarter, and that was it. Toledo scored on all but three drives in the final three quarters. Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn passed for 144 yards and one touchdown.
The rushing defense fared no better. The Bobcats were ran through by Bryant Koback, who rushed for 152 yards and four touchdowns. Koback ran rampant Tuesday, and the Bobcats had no answer for him. He even picked up 19 receiving yards on three receptions.
Empty first half
In its last two games, Ohio had scored at least two touchdowns in the first half. That trend was bucked Tuesday night. Ohio went the entire first half without reaching the end zone. Its only two scoring drives before halftime ended in field goals, and it punted three times.
The Bobcats were held to under 200 total yards in the first half, and quarterback Kurtis Rourke went 10-of-15 for 113 yards.
Settle for field goals
Until it scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Ohio did nothing except kick field goals in order to put points on the board. It had opportunities to score touchdowns before the fourth quarter, but it either backed down on fourth down or resorted to punting.
De'Montre Tuggle had actually managed to score in the second quarter off a 96-yard kick return, but a holding penalty voided his touchdown. Another Bobcat wouldn’t reach the end zone until Sieh Bangura scored on a four-yard run with four-and-a-half minutes left in the fourth quarter.
