This was an entirely s l o w game leading up to the third quarter, but the finish was glorious. Although not an OHIO-friendly finish.
Boo Jackson and the Bobcats (which is one of my favorite R&B combos ... you absolutely must see them live sometime) had 61 seconds, zero timeouts, and 72 yards to go to score seven points. They got the touchdown — on a Hail Mary-ish heave — from the 36-yard line to Terrence McCrae.
However...
Instead of trudging through an overtime game, Bobcats coach Frank Solich kept the offense out there. A two-point conversion to win — what gall. Jackson found Riley Dunlop WIDE open in the end-zone (the closest person to him was probably the security guard, or the goalpost) but Dunlop's legs sadly misstepped and he fell just as Jackson was throwing it to him.
Heartbreaking, especially for the Bobcats. Was it the right call? Do you give your team a better chance to win in overtime, or was OHIO undermatched and this was their best chance?
My initial reaction is, well, of course it was a great chance. Dunlop keeps his footing, and the Bobcats probably walk away with their first win over the Herd in six meetings (their last time was in 2000). Second-guessing the coach is America's favorite pastime, and I'm sure you'll have a fair number of arguments which say that both teams were panting after 60 minutes and Ohio looked mighty fresh in that final drive. Big Boo was finding open men, scrambling for first downs, and could've kept scoring TDs in extra frames. And the defense had a clutch four-and-out to get the ball for that final drive.
But Alas. No matter the conclusion, OHIO is a crestfallen 1-3.