by At Peden Stadium, the Ohio Bobcats took on the Morgan State Bears in beautiful Athens, Ohio. This was a game that was a roller coaster type of game for the Bobcats.
1st quarter
To start the game, Morgan State ran the ball and moved it efficiently down the field. However, the Bobcats were able to make a stop. Linebacker Shay Taylor was holding the Bear’s offense. The offense looked great to start as running back Anthony Tyus continued his dominance and helped the Bobcats get down the field. Coach Tim Albin gets creative and runs a play where Tyus gets the snap and hands it off to Navarro and Navarro spun around and threw it back to Tyus in the endzone. Morgan State is able to drive down the field and get a field goal on their next possession. The Bobcats end the quarter with Navarro throwing to wide receiver Coleman Owens for a big gain. Parker Navarro ran a read option and decided to keep it and ran for a 10-yard touchdown.
2nd Quarter
Coach Tim Albin continues his gutsy calls as he decides to run an onside kick and it was successfully recovered by the Bobcats. The Bobcats were not able to take advantage as Navarro threw an interception that was just a poor throw and a poor decision, based on what I have seen in the previous game, I was shocked to see the carelessness with the ball. The next two that he threw in the game were crucial as they gave Morgan State the ball near our red zone each time. Morgan State was able to capitalize on one of the possessions but the defense was able to hold, making the halftime score 14-6 with the Bobcats leading.
3rd Quarter
The Bobcats got the ball to start, but there was a new face at quarterback. With Navarro struggling in the 2nd quarter, Coach Albin looked to second-string Nick Poulos who came in and played solid enough to get the job done. Poulos was making plays with his legs and marching the team down the field. The highlight of the quarter is a block field goal from Bradley Weaver which was recovered by Shay Taylor. The Bobcats do score on their next drive as Tyus is able to run it in for a 13-yard touchdown. The score at the end of the quarter 21-6.
4th quarter
There was not much offense in this last quarter as both teams started to trade punts. However, the Bobcats did have a drive where they marched down the field. Poulos and the offense ran a speed option to the left and Poulos tried to pitch it to Ricky Hunt Jr. and it got blocked, and as Poulos went to turn to get the ball, a Morgan State defensive player was running full speed and hit him hard. Poulos was shaken up but he was able to jog off the field on his own. The Bobcats defense was looking great all day, which led to a goal-line stand by the defense and putting the ball back in Poulos’s hands. The Bobcats finish the game and pull out a win after a roller coaster of a day, with the final score of 21-6
Analysis
As I previously stated, this game to me seemed like a rollercoaster of emotions. To start, quarterback Parker Navarro started the game well with big completions and accurate throws. I am not sure what happened or what changed in his mind, but he started to make decisions to throw to guys that were not open. Everyone makes mistakes and I try to understand the pressure a college quarterback faces, but 3 of those decisions in the same quarter is not going to win the Bobcats a football game. I think Coach Albin has a battle on his hands in terms of quarterback because Poulos looked impressive during the game. He can make plays with his legs and his arm; I am intrigued to see who gets the nod from Coach Albin for next week’s game at Kentucky.
The defense was able to keep the Bobcats in this game. When the offense looked stagnant and Navarro made those mistakes, Shay Taylor, Bradley Weaver, and the rest of the defensive squad stepped up and won this game for the Bobcats.
