Remember in the lead-up to this year’s Frisco Bowl when we told you, “No matter what the over/under is, bet the over?” Yeah, that’s our bad. In a game that looked primed for a shootout between two good offenses and two weak defenses, it made sense. However, that was not the reality. Neither team scored in the first quarter, and neither offense really looked ready to go. Despite that, the Ohio Bobcats spoiled UNLV’s holiday plans, preventing the Rebels from winning 11 games for the first time in program history.
Instead, the Bobcats increased their bowl win streak to seven games, just behind Minnesota’s eight heading into its own Rate Bowl matchup on the 26th. Opportunistic defense and another incredible performance from the run game helped Ohio get a win before what looks to be another eventful offseason in the program.
Ohio Runs Past UNLV with Strong Second Half in Frisco Bowl
One Last Ride
In terms of yards per carry with at least two carries in a game, Sieh Bangura saved his best performance for last. The Ohio star running back has had great seasons, most notably in his redshirt freshman breakout campaign in 2022. However, for as many 100-yard games as he’s had, he was never as explosive as he was in his final game with the program.
Bagura finished this game with 149 yards (second-most in his career) and one touchdown on just 19 carries. His 7.8 yards per carry set a new career-best (aside from the singular 40-yard run from 2021). It was his 15th 100-yard game as a Bobcat and his second dominant performance in a bowl.
From the jump, it looked like it was going to be the Bangura show. His first touch of the game went for 27 yards before Parker Navarro tossed his only interception of the game on a deep shot. On the day, the senior rattled off three explosive plays of 27, 31, and 23 yards. The final one was the back-breaking touchdown to put Ohio out of reach. In total, UNLV recorded two tackles for loss, and neither was while Bangura carried the ball. In fact, he was held to just one run for no gain.
“We Beat Ourselves”
In the postgame press conference, UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea made the comment, “Ohio, they didn’t really beat us, we beat ourselves.” On one hand, sure, UNLV made a handful of costly errors that cost it the game. Colandrea was held to just 184 yards passing in one of the worst statistical games of his career. In addition, Colandrea threw a bad interception at the end of the first half. He was trying to take a shot on first down with 34 seconds to go and overthrew his man in double coverage, resulting in an easy Ohio interception in the endzone. He also gave up the ball when sacked on the Rebels’ first drive of the game.
On the surface, he’s right. On the other hand, however, UNLV’s defense did its job. Ohio turned the ball over on each of its first two drives of the game. First, Navarro threw that interception. Then, the Bobcat center got the ball seemingly stuck in the turf, resulting in the ugliest snap you’ll see this bowl season. Third, the Rebels’ special teams were able to steal a possession by recovering a muffed punt. On that muffed punt, Colandrea’s offense managed negative two yards, but converted on the field goal to get onto the board.
The two teams were an identical 4-for-11 on third down, and both were called for five penalties. There wasn’t nearly the disparity that Colandrea is led to believe. In reality, the Bobcats overcame three turnovers and powered through the second half with a touchdown, two-point conversion, field goal, and a 10-play drive to end it.
What’s Next?
Year two of the Dan Mullen era for UNLV should be about as good as the first. Assuming Colandrea returns, the Rebels should be solid on offense yet again. Next year’s opponents are set for the Rebels in the first year of the new-look Mountain West. Out of conference, UNLV gets North Texas, Akron, and Cal. Within the MWC, Air Force, Hawai’i, New Mexico, San Jose State (who also spurned the move to the Pac-12 with UNLV), Nevada, UTEP, Wyoming, and the newly-added Northern Illinois Huskies.
As for Ohio, the program is in flux again. Brian Smith was let go, so Ohio will have to find its third coach in three years. The Bobcats will have a bit of turnover on the roster, but they will still be able to compete in the uber-competitive MAC. While the in-conference slate is not set, Ohio gets to face Nebraska, Wofford, South Alabama, and Stone Hill (FCS).
Main Photo: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
