A bowl win at last for the OU Bobcats!

The Ohio University Bobcats football team won its first-ever bowl game Saturday by a single point, in a tight battle against the Utah State Aggies. This historic 24-23 victory took place at the Famous Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho. 

The Bobcats' opening drive was not encouraging, ending in a safety for the Aggies.  The Bobcats then didn't score another point during the first quarter of the game. It brought back memories of OU's recent disappointing loss to Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship.  

The Aggies' first half performance was the exact opposite. Tough defense held the Bobcats to just seven points during the half, and the Aggie defense shut down many of Tyler Tettleton's persistent quarterback sneaks. 

Strong running plays dragged Bobcat defenders down the field. Aggie senior running back Michael Smith rushed for two touchdowns in the third quarter.

In the second half, the Bobcats came back with ferocity. Defensively the 'Cats were tough but still struggled to contain runners. Offensively, though, they turned up the heat. Late in the third quarter Tettleton and LaVon Brazill connected for a soaring 44-yard pass into the Bobcat end zone.  The play brought the 'Cats within six points of the Aggies.

The fourth quarter was an offensive stalemate until the last minute of the game. The Bobcats drove down the field and the Aggies stopped them in their tracks at the 15-yard line.  

A last-ditch fourth-down pass from Tettleton to Brazil – with six yards needed for the first down – triggered a serious review by the referees. Three official rulings later, the Bobcats were within six inches of the end zone with less than 30 seconds left on the clock. 

Tettleton finished the game off in the Bobcats' final drive, taking a quarterback sneak into the end zone and leaving only 13 seconds on the clock. 

The Aggies made one last attempt to recover as the clock ran down. A lateral-filled play got the team halfway down the field before a Bobcat interception put the final nail in the coffin and sealed the victory for the 'Cats.