The Glass Bowl is a notoriously tough place to play for all Mid-American Conference teams, not just Ohio (8-3, 6-1 MAC). However, the Bobcats have had an especially hard time coming to Toledo (7-4, 5-2 MAC) and winning, having an all-time record of 1-16 in Toledo on the road. None of that mattered Wednesday night, as Ohio picked up a crucial win on the road against Toledo by a score of 24-7.
“I told them at the hotel, 'give me a show of hands, who's ever suited up with the Bobcats and played here at the Glass Bowl’; nobody raised their hands,” Ohio coach Tim Albin said. “So this team's got zero to do with the lack of wins here. So flat, we’re gonna be 1-0.”
For Ohio, the goal was to go 1-0, and, in spite of its very slow start, that’s exactly what the team did. The Bobcats didn’t cross midfield until the 4:58 mark in the second quarter, giving fans flashbacks of the dismal start at Miami.
Thankfully for the Ohio offense, the defense was there to keep the score manageable, holding Toledo to a single touchdown in the first half that came from good field position after a great return from the Toledo return man.
“I love our defense; I love them so much,” Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro said. “Knowing those guys are just gonna give us the ball right back, it gives us so much confidence as an offense.”
The defense came up huge for Navarro after what seemed to be a huge turning point in the game out of halftime. With great field position, Navarro and Anthony Tyus got Ohio inside the five-yard line just for Navarro to throw an interception right when it seemed the team was going to score.
The very next play, Ohio’s defense made one of the plays of the game. DJ Walker forced a fumble that was quickly recovered by Roman Parodie.
“The coaches always say run to the ball because you never know what’s gonna happen,” Parodie said. “I was fortunate enough that DJ Walker punched it out, made it a huge play. I was in the right place at the right time, picking it up.”
On the next drive, the Bobcats took advantage, putting together a huge touchdown drive that ended with a one-yard plunge by Navarro into the endzone.
On the next Toledo drive, the defense made another play, with Blake Leake punching the ball out with a cast on his hand for Adonis Williams Jr. to recover it.
“I probably have to credit the cast for that,” Leake said. “It's good just getting to be able to still play football. I mean, I only have a few games left in my career, so I'm just trying to take it all in.”
After that fumble, momentum began to shift within the Glass Bowl. Ohio got the ball back with a chance to take the lead, and that is exactly what it did.
Parker Navarro led a great drive which was very balanced, with big plays on the ground from Tyus and some big catches from Caleb Gossett, who came up big after Ohio star receiver Coleman Owen went out with an injury.
“Caleb came in, made some plays,” Albin said. “You take what happened last week against Eastern; you got another guy in the mix.”
The drive ultimately came down to a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, a play which saw Navarro run in for his second rushing touchdown of the game, converting on what was, to that point, the biggest play of Ohio’s season to take a 14-7 lead.
After that touchdown, the defense again made some huge plays, including a Ben McNaboe strip sack which was recovered by Toledo, but forced a three-and-out from the Rocket offense.
The Ohio offense again pounced on the opportunity and went the field, scoring another touchdown which essentially put the game away. This time it was Tyus getting in the endzone, making the score 21-7.
After that touchdown, Ohio was able to kick a field goal to take a three-score lead, officially finalizing the win with continued successful defense. With the huge win at Toledo, Ohio just needs to beat Ball State next week to punch its ticket to Detroit for the MAC Championship game.
