Ohio beats North Texas, Peden Stadium rocking

[Harry]

The Ohio Bobcats made it a point to have a loud home opener against the North Texas Mean Green. The only thing that was quiet after the 'Cats 27-21 victory at Peden Stadium Saturday night was the idea that their season was in trouble following a Week 1 loss.

"I like the ways our guys faced that challenge," Ohio head coach Frank Solich said. "They came off of last week down but did not stay down. They responded very well."

Ohio didn't waste any time making noise, as on the first play Tyler Tettleton connected with Chase Cochran on a deep play-action pass for a 75-yard touchdown, electrifying the crowd of 24,511, the fifth largest in stadium history. According to Tettleton, the matchups North Texas presented set up the big play perfectly.

"It's one of those plays we love and we love against their type of defense," he said. "We knew that we'd have a chance to run it sometime in the game. It just happened to be the first play."

Cochran saw a return to his role as a playmaker, leading the team with 103 yards on six receptions. He also hauled in an impressive one-handed catch to keep a late drive alive in the fourth quarter. His ability to contribute in a variety of ways comes from trying to become more than just a deep threat.

"[T]he coaches have been telling me to work on my short game, to not be a one-dimensional guy," he said. "That's what they think will help us win."

Tettleton and the rest of the Ohio offense looked more comfortable than they did a week ago, with much of that coming from the Bobcats' ability to establish a running game. Beau Blankenship shook off a rough opening week to rush for 83 yards on 14 carries. Ryan Boykin led the team with 93 yards on 19 carries and a 10-yard touchdown reception that put Ohio up 14-7 with 13:12 to play in the second quarter.

Boykin said that the week-late renaissance of the 'Cats' rushing attack didn't require much tweaking.

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