Bobcats claim 7th-straight bowl win, the second-longest active FBS streak.
Sieh Bangura and Parker Navarro ended their storied careers for the Ohio Bobcats with a triumphant 17-10 win in the Frisco Bowl over UNLV. Ohio won a staggering seventh-straight bowl game with the victory, only trailing Minnesota (8) for the longest active bowl win streak in the FBS.
The ground game carried the Bobcats like much of the season as Bangura rushed for 143 yards and a score, while Navarro added 43 and another touchdown. Navarro only threw 15 passes, but was fairly accurate in what could be his final collegiate game, completing 11 of them for 143 yards.
The Bobcats’ defense consistently came up huge in critical moments. Ohio forced a UNLV fumble, interception, and turnover on downs to end promising Rebel drives, limiting a top 20 scoring offense to a mere 10 points. On the opening drive of the game, UNLV drove to the Ohio 9-yard line before Ike Ackerman strip-sacked quarterback Anthony Colandrea and recovered on the Ohio 18.
In the second quarter, UNLV twice possessed the ball in Ohio territory yet came away with no points. Attempting to respond to Parker Navarro’s 5-yard touchdown run that made it a 6-0 Ohio game, UNLV advanced to the Ohio 43. However, that response drive stalled when the Rebels could not convert a 4th and 5.
The following series, the Rebels maneuvered all the way to the Ohio 33 before DJ Walker intercepted a Colandrea pass in the end zone with 32 seconds left in the half. This was arguably the most significant momentum shift in the Frisco Bowl. The Bobcats then took the second-half kickoff and drove 75 yards for a touchdown with Sieh Bangura hitting paydirt on a 23-yard touchdown run. With a successful two-point conversion, Ohio claimed a 14-0 lead in the low-scoring bout.
Later on in the third quarter, the Ohio defense once again stiffened with its backs against the wall. Ohio muffed a punt, yet the Bobcats held firm, limiting UNLV to a field goal to keep the margin at double-digits.
The Bobcats controlled the game’s final stretch, holding the ball for over 12 of the final 18 minutes. The Bobcats capped an 8-minute drive that stretched across the third and fourth quarters with a career-long 45-yard David Dellenbach field goal. After UNLV scored on a two-yard Anthony Colandrea rushing touchdown on 4th and goal, the Bobcats closed the game with a 10-play drive that consumed the final 4:45 of clock.
The Bobcats played a well-rounded game amid the turmoil of Brian Smith’s firing, stepping up under interim head coach John Hauser — a potential candidate for the full-time job. The Frisco Bowl performance was a testament to the depth and quality of the coaching staff, and the Bobcats’ winning culture showed with a 7th-straight bowl victory and ninth since 2011.
The 17-10 triumph over Mountain West runner-up UNLV was also a statement win for the MAC early in this bowl season. The Bobcats conclude 2025 with a fourth-straight 9-win season, remaining a prime contender in the league on an annual basis.
Category: General Sports
