In their first two minutes and 23 seconds of possession, Ohio made it clear it wouldn't suffer from a week one victory hangover.
The Bobcats outscored New Mexico State 24-10 in the third quarter en route to a 51-24 victory, their second of the season.
"Similar to the Penn State game, I think as the game went on, our defense got better," said Ohio coach Frank Solich. "Our offense showed flashes early of being able to put points on the board. (In) the third quarter they showed their ability to control the ball and put points on the board."
Ohio redshirt junior quarterback Tyler Tettleton got the Bobcats' offense moving when he found wide-open redshirt junior Troy Hill for a 41-yard gain less than five minutes into the game.
The next play from scrimmage was a six-yard scamper that ended in celebration for the Bobcats, as Tettleton broke through the line and into the endzone.
The Aggies (1-1) returned the favor on their second possession, in which a mix of running, passing and a facemask penalty set up a two-yard touchdown run by running back Tiger Powell with less than six minutes remaining in the first quarter to tie the game at seven.
Scoring picked back up early in the second quarter when Tettleton connected with redshirt junior wide receiver Donte Foster for a 28-yard scamper down the near sideline. Redshirt senior kicker Matt Weller's PAT bumped the score to 14-7 in Ohio's favor.
Two minutes after Foster's touchdown, New Mexico State quarterback Andrew Manley found his favorite target, sophomore wide receiver Austin Franklin, in space for a 42-yard touchdown.
Ohio redshirt junior running back Beau Blankenship highlighted the first half with 19 carries for 137 yards, 33 of which gave Ohio a 21-14 lead going into the half.
"The offensive line did a great job," he said. "They made some holes and I was able to get in there. All the credit goes to the coaches for scheming up the game plan and the line making the holes for us."
After halftime, Ohio caught a break when its defense held the Aggies to a three-and-out deep in its territory and New Mexico State kicker Tyler Stampler's field goal try fell short of the uprights.
Ohio's next scoring drive, which was kickstarted by a 50-yard completion from Tettleton to redshirt senior wide receiver Tyler Futrell, ended when Weller put a 37-yard field goal through the uprights. The three points secured Weller as Ohio's new all-time leading scorer, passing Kareem Wilson's mark of 302 career points.
"It's an honor to be on this team for the fourth year now and be on a good team with a good group of guys," Weller said. "Being able to have these opportunites, it's humbling."
Blankenship added another score with six minutes remaining in the third quarter to create more breathing room for Ohio. On the first play following the ensuing kickoff, redshirt sophomore safety Nathan Carpenter read Manley's pass, nabbed an interception and took it the distance to stretch the lead to 38-17.
Ohio sophomore receiver Landon Smith bounced off three Aggie defenders over the course of 40 yards to put the Bobcats on the board once more before the quarter came to a close.
The Aggies' Akeelie Mustafa cancelled his score out, however, with a 91-yard touchdown return on the following kickoff.
"(There were) too many breakdowns," Solich said. "We have a lot of work to do to really be what we want to be."
Ohio closed out its scoring with a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter, while some backup players saw significant playing time.
Backup quarterback Derrius Vick, a redshirt freshman, went 3-for-6 for 34 yards under center during the fourth quarter. His most flashy play was a short pass to freshman Daz'mond Patterson, who ran 22 yards after the catch.
Despite the lopsided score, Solich was still less than satisfied with his team's complete-game body of work. He said Ohio has to come out stronger, and not rely on wearing teams down in the second half.
"I think they were frustrated going into halftime, and I think us coaches were frustrated a little bit going into halftime," he said. "We're going to play better and we know we're capable of playing better sometimes, so we strive for that. All in all, I'm a little bit of perfectionist, so I probably need to back off a little bit because they did a pretty good job."
nr225008@ohiou.edu
