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 BOISE, Idaho - Trailing 23-17 with 2:21 remaining in the season, the Ohio Bobcats put together a nine-play, 61-yard touchdown drive to edge Utah State, 24-23, in the 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The victory marked OU’s first bowl game win in program history.
A fourth-down completion from Tyler Tettleton to LaVon Brazill set up the game-winning score, a one-yard rush by Tettleton to the corner of the end zone
Not only was Ohio's victory on Saturday the first bowl victory in program history, but it also marks head coach Frank Solich's 50th win at Ohio and the first time an Ohio University football team has won ten games since 1968.
Tettleton completed 19 of 26 passes on the night, throwing for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Saturday's game marked the 11th time he'd thrown for at least 200 yards or more. The sophomore quarterback now ranks seventh all-time in career passing yards at Ohio, having thrown for 3,430.
Brazill and kicker Matt Weller also set records of their own. Brazil is now tied with Terrence McCrae with 19 career touchdown receptions and is currently the single-season record holder with 74 catches.
Weller's field goal with 9:52 remaining in the third quarter cemented him as Ohio's single-season leader in points scored with 121. He surpassed former Bobcat running back Kalvin McRae, who accounted for 120 points during the 2007 season.
The Aggies were led by a very strong running attack which combined for 345 yards. Two Utah State players rumbled for more than 100 yards on the ground. Michael Smith accounting for 157 yards and two touchdowns, while Robert Turbin carried 20 times for 102 yards.
Utah State nearly got on the board on its first drive of the game but the Aggies were denied by a strong Bobcat defensive stand. The final play of a 73-yard drive came to a grinding halt when Nic Barber stopped Robert Turbin from crossing the goal line on a fourth-and-one rushing play.
Ohio (10-4) inherited possession at its own one-yard line following the stop, but the ‘Cats weren’t out of danger. After running two plays to set up a third-and-eight from the three. Tyler Tettleton mishandled a snap and UTU capitalized with a safety.
The Aggies (7-6) added more points on their next possession, putting together a nine-play, 50-yard drive that ended in a three-yard touchdown pass from Adam Kennedy to Tarren Lloyd. After the PAT was up and through, Ohio trailed 9-0 with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Ohio answered back before the half, putting together a seven-play, 56-yard drive to score a touchdown and pull within two at 9-7. Tettleton threw a 26-yard pass to freshman tight end Derek Roback, who beat his man down the far sideline and caught the pass perfectly in stride before diving past the pylon for his first-career touchdown.
The teams began the second half on an offensive tear, scoring on four of the first five drives of the third quarter. The Aggies scored on runs of 63 and 11 yards by Smith, but the Bobcats answered in turn, scoring on a 32-yard field goal by Matt Weller and a 44-yard touchdown reception by Brazill.
Utah State held a 23-17 lead deep into the fourth quarter as the teams traded possessions but were not able to change the score line.
Ohio finally was able to take the lead with 13 seconds remaining, edging ahead on Tettleton’s scamper to the pylon and Weller's ensuing PAT. A crucial on the drive was a 13-yard fourth-down completion from Tettleton to Brazill, during which the wideout beat tight coverage to haul in a drive-extending catch and set up the game winner.
Courtesy of Ohio Athletics |
