Drew Bellisari Came In and the Whole Place Woke Up

My family is from Athens. Nobody lives there anymore, but my dad and his siblings grew up there, my grandfather taught history at Ohio, and a few relatives went there. So when the Bobcats went up 17–0, I was already thinking about how long I'd have to hear about it.

Turns out I only needed to wait for the freshman.

Offense: The Freshman Changed the Game

I hadn't seen Miami play with that kind of energy in weeks. Drew Bellisari came off the bench in the second quarter after Caleb Heavner was injured, and suddenly a broken play felt like it might go somewhere. He threw for 99 yards, ran for 64 on three carries and didn't turn the ball over.

The play I'll remember was fourth-and-nine from the Ohio 32. Bellisari slipped out of trouble, ducked under a defender and ran 31 yards to the one. D'Shawntae Jones punched it in. A drive that looked about done turned into a three-point game.

Ohio ran 22 more plays and still finished only 20 yards ahead. That tells you more about Miami's offense than the raw yardage does. Jones and Bellisari combined for 179 rushing yards on 21 carries. Jones could keep a drive moving between the tackles, and Bellisari could turn a pocket that had already broken down into a first down. Ohio had to deal with both.

There's still a number I don't love: 3-for-14 on third down. Miami didn't suddenly become an offense that could move the chains whenever it wanted. But it cashed in on all four red-zone trips, and the one fourth down it went for was the one Bellisari turned into the biggest offensive play of the night.

And then there's Scoop Smith, who apparently looked at his résumé and noticed a blank line. His 15-yard touchdown pass to Maleek Huggins gave Miami its first points and gave Scoop a fifth way he's personally scored or thrown a touchdown this season: rushing, receiving, returning a kickoff, recovering a blocked punt and now passing. Miami counts six ways he's helped create one if you include the punt he blocked that a teammate returned for a score. Either way, I'm running out of positions to list him at.

Defense: The Helicopter Hit

Grant Lyons was a monster. The two sacks show up in the box score, but I kept noticing him on plays where Nick Poulos got the ball away, too. Ohio finished 3-for-18 on third down and didn't score again after going up 17–0. Bellisari gave Miami a way back into the game. The defense made sure Ohio couldn't pull away.

Ohio still had the ball for 35:31 and gained 381 yards. It had chances. Miami kept getting off the field on third down, and when Poulos dropped back, the pressure came from more than one place. Lyons had two sacks and two credited quarterback hurries. Roosevelt Andrews III added a sack and three hurries, and Brach Rice had the fourth sack. Ohio's offense had all that time with the ball and couldn't add a point after its second-quarter field goal.

Even then, Miami led only 20–17 inside two minutes. Poulos took off on fourth down, CJ Young was in on the tackle, and Malcolm McCain delivered the hit that sent Poulos spinning. McCain forced the fumble and came out with it. Jones ran 48 yards for a touchdown on the next play. On Ohio's next snap, Amariyun Knighten took an interception 58 yards the other way. Knighten also broke up two passes, both on the same fourth-quarter drive.

If you only saw 34–17, you missed how close this was. I was still holding my breath when McCain knocked the ball loose.

The Kicks That Got Miami to 20

The last two touchdowns are going to own the highlights, but Brady Stidham put Miami in position to win before either of them happened. His 36-yarder tied it early in the fourth. His 25-yarder with 3:55 left gave Miami its first lead and meant Ohio had to go get points on that last meaningful drive.

Pierse Stainton also put six of his eight punts inside the 20. On a night when Miami had to punt eight times, that mattered. The offense didn't have to score on every possession to keep the comeback alive.

Give Students a Reason to Come Back

That was the best Yager atmosphere I've seen this season. The announced crowd was 17,156, more than 6,500 above the Buffalo game a week earlier. It wasn't the biggest home crowd by the numbers, but it's the one I'd want Miami to recreate. The students were into it, and the louder it got, the more every defensive stop felt like it mattered.

The rivalry was part of it. I also heard talk of a free-tuition giveaway for a student who attended, though I couldn't confirm the details. The idea itself is exactly the kind of creativity I want to see from Miami. Give students a reason to come on a Tuesday night. Then give them a fourth quarter they'll still be talking about on Wednesday.

The MAC Race Is Still Alive

Miami is 6–4 overall and 4–2 in the MAC. Ohio fell to 5–1 in conference play, and Toledo and Western Michigan were both 4–1 as of Wednesday morning. Miami still needs results elsewhere to break its way. But it just handed Ohio its first conference loss and kept the race open.

That's what made the second half matter beyond bragging rights. Down 17, Miami was staring at another home loss a week after Buffalo. Instead, it earned bowl eligibility and gave itself two more games that can still matter in the MAC title race.