The energy in the press conference room was at a staggering low. Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke and Ohio linebacker Bryce Houston sat dejected, visibly down and exhausted after a crushing loss at home to Miami last season.
Those players knew the season was in trouble. Their biggest rival just snatched away an opportunity for Ohio to put itself in the driver's seat on the way to Detroit for the Mid-American Conference title game.
The Miami game in 2023 was a brutal turning point in the season. Ohio had expectations and beliefs that it would make the MAC title game, but after the loss on a cold, rainy day in Athens, those hopes were on the brink of being fully dashed.
Miami would go on to win the MAC title after knocking off Toledo, while Ohio missed the game altogether. The Bobcats finished their season with a Myrtle Beach Bowl victory over Georgia Southern.
Entering the 2024 season, it was Miami’s turn as the preseason conference favorites, but six weeks into the season, the Redhawks found themselves at 2-4 on the year while their rivals in Athens sat at 4-2.
Ohio had the chance to pull off a season-changing upset on the road this time, but the Bobcats fell flat from the start.
This season, Ohio’s matchup with Miami felt like another gut punch for the team. A defeat with a final score of 30-20 makes the loss feel better than it actually was. Miami had a 30-6 lead when Nick Poulos was subbed in as quarterback for Parker Navarro, and although the JUCO transfer did show signs of life for Ohio’s offense, the points would not help. The game had already been decided.
Navarro was pulled after his second interception of the game led to a one-play Miami drive that saw Cade McDonald haul in a 28-yard touchdown from Brett Gabbert, Miami’s second one-play touchdown drive of the game.
Although the ultimate decision to pull Navarro happened with less than a minute left in the third quarter, the Ohio offense needed a spark all game long.
The Bobcats did not get a first down on offense until the 7:38 mark in the second quarter. Up until that point, every drive was a three-and-out.
Even Ohio’s drive that saw them earn that first down ended with a Navarro interception by Miami’s Raion Strader. The ensuing Miami drive ended with a Brett Gabbert touchdown and a 16-0 lead for the Redhawks.
The usually reliable and steady run game led by Anthony Tyus and the legs of Navarro was shut down as well, as Tyus finished with 15 yards, Rickey Hunt finished with 27 yards and Navarro led the team with 38 yards on the ground.
While the offense sputtered, the usually reliable and stout Ohio defense had a less-than-stellar day. Gabbert finished the game going 14/21 through the air for 178 yards and three touchdowns on a day where it never seemed like the veteran passer had to work that hard for his production.
Running back Keyon Mozee had an excellent game, pounding the Ohio defense and eventually breaking off a back-breaking 58-yard touchdown run to really put Miami ahead.
This season’s Battle of the Bricks came a little earlier in the schedule than in 2023, allowing the Bobcats more chances for wins later in the season. Ohio also has a winning record after seven games and a winning record in MAC play.
Despite all those positives, the Miami game was a bad performance for a team that has now played bad football for its last six quarters, going back to the second half against Central Michigan.
Ohio still has time to improve and win games, but after a Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Ohio, when the Bobcats were outclassed on both sides of the ball all game against their rivals, there should be a loud wake-up call for Tim Albin and his Ohio team.
