 OHIO 43, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 28 After a red-hot start that saw the Bobcats jump out to a 14-0 lead, costly mistakes and penalties prevented them from putting the game away early.
A Tyler Tettleton rushing touchdown opened the scoring four minutes in. Tettleton then found LaVon Brazill for a 63-yard touchdown minutes later to cap a 92-yard scoring drive.
The touchdown pass was Tettleton’s 21st of the season, a new Ohio single-season record. He also eclipsed the school’s single season passing record that was previously held by Theo Scott’s 2,369 yards in 2009.
Central Michigan got on the board late in the first quarter when quarterback Ryan Radcliff found Titus Young for a touchdown pass to cut the deficit in half. The drive nearly ended with a fumble. However, a booth review of the play ruled no fumble on the play.
A Matt Weller field goal to make the score 17-7 was answered with a six-play, 78-yard drive that was capped with Radcliff finding Courtney Williams for a 14-yard touchdown.
In the second half, Ohio took control of the momentum after punter Paul Hershey’s punt inside the CMU 1-yard line. OU capitalized on that with a safety and extended its lead with a Tettleton touchdown pass to Gross on the next drive. Weller’s field goal later made it 29-14 going into the fourth quarter.
The young, feisty Chippewas made a furious comeback attempt, putting together a 10-play 94-yard scoring drive to cut the deficit to eight.
CMU’s attempts to tie the game were thwarted by poor execution in key situations.
Dropped passes and a tough-luck interception ruined what was otherwise a good line for Radcliff, who completed 26 for 52 passes for 364 yards and three touchdowns.
Courtney Williams led CMU receivers with 134 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. Titus Davis also caught six passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
Also factor thwarting CMU’s efforts was the breakout of the Bobcat rushing attack in the fourth quarter. With Donte Harden unable to play due to illness, sophomores Ryan Boykin and Beau Blankenship took advantage of the opportunity.
Blankenship unexpectedly led the charge on the ground with 130 yards on 25 carries and two fourth quarter touchdowns that secured the victory for the Bobcats. Boykin chimed in with 90 yards of his own.
The win keeps Ohio a game ahead in the MAC East with two games to play. The Green and White travel to Bowling Green to take on the Falcons Wednesday. Central Michigan will look to end its season on a positive note, but it faces a tall task when the Chippewas take on Toledo next Friday.
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