| Nick Harwell starred in another 100-yard receiving performance, the 14th of his career. (US Presswire) |
MIAMI WON. The RedHawks fans rushed the field, and the players got to celebrate the first win against their in-state rivals in seven meetings. Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton led a potentially game-tying drive inside the Miami 10 yard line in the final seconds, but took a sack the Bobcats could not afford on the final play. With no timeouts to stop the clock, Ohio was unable to set up for a field goal to force overtime.
In the same hour that Rutgers suffered their first loss of the season, Ohio was also scratched from the list of undefeated teams. Even worse for Ohio, though, was dropping a conference game in a hyper-competitive season for the MAC. The Bobcats were popular picks as a dark horse to bust up the BCS, but now Frank Solich's squad has little room for error if they want to compete for their own conference title.
HOW MIAMI WON: Miami's defense turned up the pressure on Tyler Tettleton, totaling a season-high six sacks as a team. The Redhawks held Ohio to just 4-of-15 on third down, and wide receiver Nick Harwell stepped up with one of his best performances of the season with 8 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. It seemed as though every time Ohio was on the verge of a game-changing stop, quarterback Zac Dysert connected with Harwell, or another Miami receiver, for a big play to keep Ohio from taking ball and taking the lead.
WHEN MIAMI WON: Tettleton gave Ohio a chance to kick a game-tying field goal, and he took away their opportunity by tacking a sack on the final play. The RedHawks maintained control of the game for 60 minutes, but I guarantee they were not looking forward to possible overtime against the undefeated Bobcats. When Tettleton hit the ground, the celebration began.
WHAT MIAMI WON: With the win Miami suddenly finds themselves in the mix for the MAC East. title. They lack the head-to-head advantage against Bowling Green, but will get a shot at division leader Kent State in two weeks. The RedHawks performance on Saturday was a complete turnaround in terms of the offensive struggles that plagued the team in the two losses prior to their off week. Apparently refreshed and rebooted, Miami will have a shot to become the seventh bowl eligible team from the MAC.
WHAT OHIO LOST : Frank Solich and Tettleton have been the faces associated with this unbeaten campaign to start the 2012 season, and they were the ones ultimately associated with the last-minute loss. Tettleton scrambled out of bounds with nine seconds left, and the Bobcats could have kicked the field goal then to force overtime. Instead, Solich wanted to take one last shot to win the game. Tettleton then was unable to get rid of the ball, and taking the sack - after what could have been a field goal from inside 25 yards - cost the Bobcats a shot to make history with an undefeated season and BCS bowl appearance.
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