Ohio pulls away from Stonehill 35-7 behind Matt Vezza and 301 rushing yards

Ohio beat Stonehill 35-7 in Athens on Saturday after the teams were tied early in the second quarter. The Bobcats scored the game's final 28 points and finished with a 523-124 advantage in total yards. Quarterback Matt Vezza ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, while Victor Rosa added two short rushing scores. The ESPN final game record confirms the score and the sharp difference in production.

The first quarter did not yet suggest a runaway. Ohio's opening touchdown came on an 18-yard Vezza run with 1:46 remaining. Stonehill answered early in the second quarter when Jack O'Connell hit Cole Clarke for a 32-yard touchdown, making it 7-7. The tie lasted a little more than five minutes. Rosa's four-yard run put Ohio ahead 14-7 at 8:15, and neither side scored again before halftime.

Ohio's separation came after the break. Vezza found Dom Dorwart for a 42-yard touchdown with 8:01 left in the third quarter, then scored himself from the one with 4:27 remaining. Rosa finished the scoring on a six-yard run in the fourth. The Bobcats produced 14 third-quarter points and seven in the fourth without allowing a Stonehill scoring response. They also gained 301 yards rushing, a figure that helps explain why a seven-point halftime lead turned into a four-touchdown final margin.

The ground production was shared. Irving Brown led Ohio with 97 rushing yards on eight carries, while Rosa supplied the two goal-line scores. Vezza completed 14 of 20 passes for 207 yards, one touchdown and one interception; Riley Neer caught five passes for 113 yards. Stonehill managed 125 net passing yards but minus one rushing yard, according to the final team box. The Skyhawks went 0-for-8 on third down and recorded only seven first downs. That combination left little room to sustain drives once Ohio moved ahead.

Stonehill's O'Connell completed 11 of 18 passes for 117 yards and the touchdown to Clarke. Clarke finished with five catches for 64 yards, the visitor's most productive receiving line. Ohio's only turnover was Vezza's second-quarter interception, which came with less than a minute left before halftime. It did not become Stonehill points. The second-half shutout was therefore as consequential as the Bobcats' four unanswered scoring drives.

Ohio's official game preview identified Saturday as its last nonconference game before Mid-American Conference play. Stonehill's team preview called it a second consecutive game against an FBS opponent. The result gives Ohio a clear offensive and defensive benchmark entering its league opener, though Saturday's score alone says little about how those numbers will translate against MAC opponents.