Ohio Northern surges past Muskingum

Ohio Northern scored 36 unanswered points to power past Muskingum on Saturday afternoon in McConagha Stadium, 39-10. The game was the Ohio Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (1-1 overall, 0-1 OAC), Ohio Northern (1-1, 1-0 OAC)
• Location: New Concord, Ohio - McConagha Stadium
• Attendance: 1,100
• Temperature: 75 and sunny

Notable

• Muskingum senior defensive lineman Tim Ousley recorded one sack to break the Muskingum career sacks record. Ousley has notched 20.5 career sacks which surpassed the previous mark of 20 sacks held by Kevin Woods (1983-86).
• The Muskingum softball team received their 2019 OAC Regular Season championship rings during a special halftime ceremony. Muskingum President Dr. Sue Hasseler and Vice President and Athletic Director Steve Brockelbank presented the rings.

How It Happened

• Ohio Northern took an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter after an eight-play, 40-yard drive resulted in a 34-yard field goal by Dom DiFalco. The scoring drive was set up by a Muskingum fumble on its opening possession.
• Muskingum grabbed the lead early in the second quarter on an eight-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a trick play that saw senior running back Bernard Johnson hitting sophomore wideout Patrick Eanes for a 42-yard touchdown pass. Following sophomore kicker, Gavin Costello's extra point the Muskies led, 7-3.
• Muskingum stretched its lead to 10-7 at the 5:24 mark of the second quarter on Costello's 41-yard field goal. The scoring drive covered 47 yards in 10 plays.
• Ohio Northern grabbed the momentum at the end of the first half by scoring two touchdowns in the final 41 seconds. Anthony McFadden connected with Austin Eick for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 41 seconds on the clock. A bad snap on the extra point attempt was converted into a two-point conversion when Aaron Everhart passed it to Gabriel Hirsch to give the Polar Bears an 11-10 edge. After the kickoff, ONU forced Muskingum to a three-and-out and took possession on its own 40. Two plays later, McFadden found Eick for a 54-yard touchdown to give Ohio Northern an 18-10 lead entering halftime. 
• In the second half, Ohio Northern scored two touchdowns in the first 12 minutes of the third quarter and completed the scoring midway through the fourth quarter on a seven-yard run by Christiaan Williams.

Inside The Numbers

• Muskingum ended the game with 220 yards of offense (99 rushing/121 passing) on 58 plays. The Muskies had 14 first downs and ended the outing going 2-of-12 on third-down conversions.
• Ohio Northern ended the outing with 443 yards of offense (163 rushing/280 passing) on 75 plays. The Polar Bears registered 26 first downs and were 9-of-14 on third-down conversions. ONU also held a 34:12-25:48 advantage in time of possession. 
• Junior quarterback Brody Hahn ended the game going 6-of-18 for 50 yards with one interception. He also rushed for 20 yards on six totes.
• Freshman Jeffrey Curtis led the ground game with 33 yards on 11 carries.
• Johnson rushed for 20 yards on eight totes and went 1-for-1 passing for 42 yards and one score.
• Freshman wideout Tyler Heinecke led the Muskie receivers with three grabs for 21 yards.
• Eanes had two receptions for 55 yards and one touchdown. He also completed one pass for 14 yards.
• Junior linebacker Nehemiah Bowie led the Muskie defense with 13 stops. 
• Senior linebacker Caleb Gaiters added 11 hits, one sack for 10 yards and forced one fumble.
• Senior defensive lineman Tim Ousley had five tackles and one sack for seven yards.
• Senior defensive lineman Yannis Dailey had eight tackles and recovered one fumble 
• McFadden led the Polar Bear offense going 22-of-31 for 280 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 12 yards.
• Eick led all receivers with eight receptions for 136 yards and four scores.
• Williams rushed for 142 yards on 27 carries and added one touchdown. 
• Mark Niles led the ONU defense with seven hits, and Tyler Soltis added six hits.

Up Next

• Muskingum next plays at rival Marietta on Saturday, September 21. The annual Shriner Game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Don Drumm Stadium.