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MINNEAPOLIS — After three-and-a-half hours of blood, sweat and tears, the Bobcats needed just one more break or a little luck to pick up a coveted upset.
Instead, Ohio was victimized by a weird call and succumbed to the expected result.
After a delay of game call wiped out a potential game-tying field goal, Ohio’s ‘Hail Mary’ on the final play of the game fell incomplete and Minnesota escaped TCF Bank Stadium with a 27-24 victory on Saturday.
The Gophers (3-1) trailed most of the day, but snuck ahead late when Shannon Brooks scored on a three-yard run with 30 seconds remaining.
Minnesota then caught a couple breaks. Ohio (3-1), down three, got good field position when Daz Patterson returned the ensuing kick-off 56 yards — but it might have been bigger if he had not cramped up during the end of the return.
On the Minnesota 43 with 21 seconds left, the Bobcats were able to run three plays and pick up seven yards. With seven seconds left, Ohio sent on kicker Josiah Yazdani for the tying 53-yard field goal attempt.
Minnesota called a time out to freeze him, Yazdani took a kick anyway — as kickers on both the pro and college level do all the time in similar circumstances.
This time, however, the officiating crew threw a flag on Yazdani for delay of game. Now backed up five yards, Ohio went for the deep pass play on the final snap instead.
Ohio coach Frank Solich was still upset about the sequence in the moments after the game.
“The thing that bothers me on that type of play is that the ball gets snapped. So apparently the center doesn’t hear the whistle either,” Solich said. “But somehow you’re expecting the kicker — when he’s concentrating on the snap, the crowd is very, very loud and he’s following through on what he thinks is the game-winning kick (to hear it).
“The way the sequence developed, and the flow of it, that was very much a surprise to me,” added Ohio’s coach.
Solich said he did regret going for the Hail Mary. After watching Yazdani’s practice kick, Solich said he should have sent the kicker back out for a 58-yarder. The all-time Ohio record is 57 yards.
“Yes, and that was my fault. I should’ve went for the 58. The ball carried enough to give him a shot at the end.”
The weird ending marred what was a superb back and forth affair. Ohio scored more points and fielded more big plays than any other team which has faced Minnesota’s defense this season. Quarterback Derrius Vick threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns, while Patterson added 70 yards rushing on the ground.
Minnesota led for about half the third quarter and at the very end, but spent most of the day trying to get a handle on the Bobcats. Ohio entered as a 10-point underdog.
Gopher quarterback Mitch Leidner hit on 22 of 32 throws for 264 yards, and scored on a one-yard run. Shannon Brooks picked up 82 rushing yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.
“We battled and we played hard,” Vick said. “We felt we played well enough in spots to win the game.”
The game was tied 14-14 at halftime, but Minnesota edged in front 17-14 in the third on Ryan Santoso’s 49-yard field goal.
Ohio took advantage of a special teams mistake to grab the lead early in the fourth quarter. Minnesota punt returner Craig James was stripped of the ball by Ohio’s Cody Grilliot and Keith Heitzman picked it up off the turf. On the first play after the turnover, A.J. Ouellette squeezed through the line of scrimmage and bulled into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown that gave Ohio a 21-17 lead with 14:39 remaining.
The teams then traded long field goal drives. Minnesota cut it to 21-20 with 8:44 left on Santoso’s 24-yard kick, and Ohio cashed in a six-minute march with Yazdani’s 41-yard field goal that made it 24-20 with 2:36 left.
But the Gophers had one big drive left.
“This one hurts,” Ohio cornerback Devin Bass said. “We left it all out there, but this one still hurts.”.
http://www.athensmessenger.com/spor...cle_d5962527-bf88-582e-b2c9-915374e9ff7b.html
Instead, Ohio was victimized by a weird call and succumbed to the expected result.
After a delay of game call wiped out a potential game-tying field goal, Ohio’s ‘Hail Mary’ on the final play of the game fell incomplete and Minnesota escaped TCF Bank Stadium with a 27-24 victory on Saturday.
The Gophers (3-1) trailed most of the day, but snuck ahead late when Shannon Brooks scored on a three-yard run with 30 seconds remaining.
Minnesota then caught a couple breaks. Ohio (3-1), down three, got good field position when Daz Patterson returned the ensuing kick-off 56 yards — but it might have been bigger if he had not cramped up during the end of the return.
On the Minnesota 43 with 21 seconds left, the Bobcats were able to run three plays and pick up seven yards. With seven seconds left, Ohio sent on kicker Josiah Yazdani for the tying 53-yard field goal attempt.
Minnesota called a time out to freeze him, Yazdani took a kick anyway — as kickers on both the pro and college level do all the time in similar circumstances.
This time, however, the officiating crew threw a flag on Yazdani for delay of game. Now backed up five yards, Ohio went for the deep pass play on the final snap instead.
Ohio coach Frank Solich was still upset about the sequence in the moments after the game.
“The thing that bothers me on that type of play is that the ball gets snapped. So apparently the center doesn’t hear the whistle either,” Solich said. “But somehow you’re expecting the kicker — when he’s concentrating on the snap, the crowd is very, very loud and he’s following through on what he thinks is the game-winning kick (to hear it).
“The way the sequence developed, and the flow of it, that was very much a surprise to me,” added Ohio’s coach.
Solich said he did regret going for the Hail Mary. After watching Yazdani’s practice kick, Solich said he should have sent the kicker back out for a 58-yarder. The all-time Ohio record is 57 yards.
“Yes, and that was my fault. I should’ve went for the 58. The ball carried enough to give him a shot at the end.”
The weird ending marred what was a superb back and forth affair. Ohio scored more points and fielded more big plays than any other team which has faced Minnesota’s defense this season. Quarterback Derrius Vick threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns, while Patterson added 70 yards rushing on the ground.
Minnesota led for about half the third quarter and at the very end, but spent most of the day trying to get a handle on the Bobcats. Ohio entered as a 10-point underdog.
Gopher quarterback Mitch Leidner hit on 22 of 32 throws for 264 yards, and scored on a one-yard run. Shannon Brooks picked up 82 rushing yards and scored a pair of touchdowns.
“We battled and we played hard,” Vick said. “We felt we played well enough in spots to win the game.”
The game was tied 14-14 at halftime, but Minnesota edged in front 17-14 in the third on Ryan Santoso’s 49-yard field goal.
Ohio took advantage of a special teams mistake to grab the lead early in the fourth quarter. Minnesota punt returner Craig James was stripped of the ball by Ohio’s Cody Grilliot and Keith Heitzman picked it up off the turf. On the first play after the turnover, A.J. Ouellette squeezed through the line of scrimmage and bulled into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown that gave Ohio a 21-17 lead with 14:39 remaining.
The teams then traded long field goal drives. Minnesota cut it to 21-20 with 8:44 left on Santoso’s 24-yard kick, and Ohio cashed in a six-minute march with Yazdani’s 41-yard field goal that made it 24-20 with 2:36 left.
But the Gophers had one big drive left.
“This one hurts,” Ohio cornerback Devin Bass said. “We left it all out there, but this one still hurts.”.
http://www.athensmessenger.com/spor...cle_d5962527-bf88-582e-b2c9-915374e9ff7b.html
