Looking at the stats before the game, it was clear Miami was not a good football team.
A squad that ranked second to last in total offense in the Football Bowl Subdivision and 111th in total defense wasn’t exactly an imposing threat to Ohio, despite the fact it was a rivalry game against a winless Miami team that had nothing to lose.
But the Bobcats (6-2, 3-1 Mid-American Conference) took care of business against the RedHawks (0-8, 0-4 MAC), defeating them 41-16 in a game that Ohio largely dominated from kickoff to the final whistle.
Ohio outgained Miami 535-240 Saturday afternoon, despite only winning the time of possession battle 31:34-28:26.
The Bobcats exit a four-game stretch to open MAC play where the opposition currently has a combined 6-27 record, but Ohio’s two upcoming road opponents at Buffalo and Bowling Green are 11-5 on the season.
“It’s just the same preparation each week,” redshirt senior running back Beau Blankenship said. “Take it one play at a time, continue to execute and be 1-0 on every play, whether it’s running or throwing the ball.”
That message from Blankenship, who had his best game of the season with 20 carries for 173 yards and 8.6 yards per carry, was echoed by coach Frank Solich, who said he’s been trying to keep his team focused on not looking too far down the road.
“We won a football game that was an excellent four quarters of football,” Solich said. “But then we’ve kind of broken it down a little bit from there. We’ve started to get to where we’re playing one play at a time and do the best we can on that particular play. Instead of looking at championships and bowl games and that, we’re refocusing ourselves.”
The refocused play was featured on the offensive side of the football, as the RedHawks had a hard time stopping the multi-faceted Bobcat attack.
In addition to the season-best performance from Blankenship, fellow redshirt senior Tyler Tettleton added 306 yards of passing and three touchdowns, completing 22 of his 32 attempts in his third consecutive game eclipsing the 300-yard mark.
Ohio’s defense also found its footing against Miami, allowing its lowest yardage total since giving 147 yards to Akron in the Bobcats’ MAC opener.
“It clicked for a lot of the players to come out and play with 110 percent,” redshirt senior cornerback Travis Carrie said. “I was excited that we were able to execute and the coaches came out with a good game plan to defend these guys and it worked.”
And it was a record-breaking day for redshirt senior wide receiver Donte Foster, who hauled in eight catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns, surpassing former Bobcat Terrence McRae for first all-time in the program record books for receiving touchdowns with 20.
Solich was complimentary of Foster after the game, praising his intelligence on the football field.
“He’s a smart football player,” Solich said. “And you get talent with that. He’s a guy who’s worked hard in the offseason to make himself better. You combine all of that and you’ve got what you want.”
ch203310@ohiou.edu
@c_hoppens
