KENT, Ohio – Redshirt junior running back Beau Blankenship rushed for a game-high 145 yards, but it was not enough as the Ohio University football team (8-4; 4-4) dropped a 28-6 decision to Kent State Saturday afternoon at Dix Stadium.
Frank Solich’s Bobcats, after starting the season 7-0, dropped four of its last five games.
Blankenship’s (Norman, Okla.) 145-yard rushing effort marked the eighth time in 12 games this season in which he has rushed for 100 yards-or-more. He also surpassed former Bobcat Kalvin McRae for the school’s all-time single season rushing record. Blankenship finished the regular season with 1,500 yards on the ground.
Junior quarterback Tyler Tettleton (Norman, Okla.) tallied 232 yards passing, going 21-of-37 through air. Fellow junior Donte Foster (Guthrie, Okla.) also chipped in offensively with 11 receptions for 100 yards receiving. His 11 receptions were a single game career-high. The `Cats also limited KSU quarterback Spencer Keith to just 9-of-20 passing and picked him off once.
Defensively, senior Alphonso Lewis (Altoona, Pa.) led the Bobcats with 7.0 tackles. The Bobcats’ defensive unit also held KSU’s running back Dri Archer to just 53 yards rushing (4.1 yards per carry). Archer came into the game, averaging 116.7 yards per game and 10.3 yards per carry.
Kent State jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the opening nine minutes of the first quarter, capitalizing on a pair of Ohio turnovers.
The Golden Flashes’ first score came after a 50-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Luke Wollet to make the score 7-0. Kent State struck seven minutes later thanks to a 15-yard run by running back Trayion Durham, which capped a three play, 60-yard drive.
On the next Ohio offensive possession, Tettleton threw his first interception in 88 attempts. He was picked off by KSU’s C.J. Malauulu, who returned the ball 33-yards, which made the count 21-0.
Ohio added a field goal at the 2:45 mark of the first quarter to make the count 21-3 thanks to a 33-yard field goal by senior kick Matt Weller (Twinsburg, Ohio). Weller would go on to add another field goal at the end of the first half as he connected from 41-yards out to make the count 21-6, heading into the locker room.
Despite trailing at the half, Ohio held a 170-158 advantage in total yards. Blankenship led the way for the Bobcats offensively as he accounted for 91 yards on the ground.
Both teams were held scoreless in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter, the Golden Flashes would go up 22 points with 11:44 to go, following a 24-yard touchdown pass from Keith to wide receiver Eric Adeyemi.
The Bobcats threatened to score twice late in the fourth quarter, but were unable to find the endzone as they were held without a touchdown for the first time since Nov. 26, 2010.
Ohio will await a possible postseason bowl selection. Visit OhioBobcats.com for the most-to-date information on the Bobcats’ postseason bowl opportunity.
2012 Ohio Bobcat Scores:
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| Date | Opponent / Event | Location | Time / Result |
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| 09/01/12 | at Penn State  |
State College, Pa. | W, 24-14 |
| 09/08/12 | vs. New Mexico State |
Athens, Ohio | W, 51-24 |
| 09/15/12 | at Marshall | Huntington, W. Va. | W, 27-24 |
| Parents Weekend | |||
| 09/22/12 | vs. Norfolk State |
Athens, Ohio | W, 44-10 |
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| 09/29/12 | at Massachusetts * |
Foxboro, Mass. | W, 37-34 |
| 10/06/12 | vs. Buffalo * |
Athens, Ohio | W, 38-31 |
| Homecoming | |||
| 10/13/12 | vs. Akron * |
Athens, Ohio | W, 34-28 |
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| 10/27/12 | at Miami (Oh) * |
Oxford, Ohio | L, 23-20 |
| 11/01/12 | vs. Eastern Michigan * |
Athens, Ohio | W, 45-14 |
| 11/07/12 | vs. Bowling Green * |
Athens, Ohio | L, 26-14 |
| 11/14/12 | at Ball State * |
Muncie, Ind. | L, 52-27 |
| 11/23/12 | at Kent State * |
Kent, Ohio | L, 28-6 |