Sept. 9, 2005

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Call of the Game-Ending Play

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ATHENS, Ohio - Dion Byrum picked off a Tyler Palko pass and returned it, untouched, 85-yards down the left sideline and into the end zone in the first overtime period, giving the Ohio football team a 16-10 victory over Pittsburgh Friday night in front of a national television audience and a record-setting 24,545 fans at Peden Stadium.

"It was a matter of Dion being Dion and being in the right spot now three times for us," said Bobcat head coach Frank Solich about his senior cornerback. "I don't know if there's anybody else in the country who has gotten off to this kind of start."

Byrum (Matthews, N.C.) gave Ohio (1-1) its first score of the game on a 38-yard interception return in the first quarter, then provided the game-ending heroics in overtime, just after Pitt (0-2) tied the game with seven seconds remaining in regulation.

Ohio faced a 7-0 deficit before its defense ever took the field but scored 10 unanswered points over the first and second quarters to pull ahead and stay ahead for the lion's share of the contest. After a missed Bobcat field goal, Palko led the Panthers in a 70-yard march late in the fourth quarter that resulted in a game-tying field goal, forcing the overtime period.

The Panthers lit up the scoreboard early, returning the opening kickoff for six quick points. LaRod Stephens-Howling caught the kick at his own five, split the Ohio coverage team and sprinted untouched down the left sideline for the game's first points. The extra point split the uprights and the Panthers went ahead 7-0 early in the first quarter.

"That's just about as bas a start as you're going to get," said Solich. "We've got people in the seats, our players were really excited about playing the game and then to have one returned on you right on the opening kickoff kind of takes all the wind out of you. But to their credit, they just came back and continued to battle."

After both teams combined for seven punts on their next seven possessions, it was Ohio's turn for the big play. On first down and 10, Palko's pass was picked off near the Bobcat sideline by Byrum and returned 38 yards for the Bobcat score. The Brooks Rossman (Seal Beach, Calif.) point-after attempt was good and the game was tied 7-7 with 1:52 remaining in the first quarter.

Palko and the Panthers ran the ball effectively on their next drive, pushing the ball into Ohio's red zone. Facing a third-and-eight, Palko was forced to scramble and his pass was picked off in the end zone by Ohio's Todd Koenig (Nanty-Glo, Pa.) and downed for a touchback as the Bobcat defense averted a seemingly sure Pittsburgh score.

Both teams traded punts once again after Koenig's interception until Ohio's offense took its turn to delve deep into opponent territory. The Bobcats, unlike the Panthers several series earlier, were able to convert the trip to the red zone into points.

Quarterback Austen Everson (Brentwood, Tenn.) engineered a 17-play, 76-yard drive that brought the Bobcats down to the Pittsburgh four and facing fourth-and-one. The Bobcats elected to try for the field goal and Rossman's kick was true from 21 yards out, pushing the Bobcats ahead for the first time on the night. Ohio kept the 10-7 lead and took it into intermission.

At the break, Everson completed 50 percent of his passes (7-for-14) for 48 yards. Kalvin McRae (Decatur, Ga.) led the rushing corps with 44 yards and Voncarie Owens (Taylorsville, Miss.) chipped in 27 yards on five carries.

Tyler Russ (Stetsonville, Wis.) and T.J. Wright (Beaumont, Texas) paced the `Cats with four tackles apiece at the half, in addition to the pair of picks recorded by the Ohio secondary.

The Bobcat defense limited Pitt to 93 yards of total offense in the first half and held Palko to 1-of-7 passing for 14 yards.

Out of the break, both defenses remained tight, as Pitt and Ohio traded punts throughout much of the third quarter. The Panther offense finally broke through late in third, though, pushing the football into Ohio territory. A 16-yard loss via a Jameson Hartke (Centerville, Ohio) sack, however, put the ball back into Pittsburgh territory and resulted in another Pittsburgh punt.

The Bobcats couldn't capitalize but the Ohio defense secured the lead. Both offenses swapped punts well into the fourth quarter until the Pitt offense made another surge.

The Panthers marched towards midfield and faced a fourth-and-one with just more than five minutes left in the contest. Tailback Rashad Jennings took the carry and ran wide to the right side but was stopped and pulled down by Koenig before he could gain the necessary yard. Ohio took over on downs in Pitt territory but a 37-yard field goal attempt by Rossman sailed wide right and put the ball back in the Panthers' hands with a chance to tie or go-ahead.

Palko completed seven passes and orchestrated a 13-play, 70-yard drive down the field that resulted in a Josh Cummings field goal from 27 yards out, tying the score and ultimately sending the game into overtime.

The Bobcats won the toss for overtime and chose to play defense first.

On Pitt's third play of the overtime period, Byrum stepped in front of a Palko pass and ended the game. After running it back to the end zone for the winning touchdown, almost the entire student section in attendance rushed on to the field to begin the celebration under a showering of fireworks.

"The student body I thought was outstanding," Solich said. "They showed up and they were a factor in this game."

Everson finished 13-of-23 for 112 yards, while Palko completed 13-of-25 for 120 yards. McRae's 50 yards were the most by a Bobcat and Brandon Peterson (Gaithersburg, Md.) caught a team-high three passes.

Matt Muncy (Miamisburg, Ohio) paced the Ohio defense with 15 tackles - 13 solo. Russ and Wright each finished with nine stops.

The Bobcats will return to action next weekend, traveling to Blacksburg, Va., for a date with No. 6/7 Virginia Tech. Kick-off is slated for 3 p.m. at Lane Stadium. The game can be seen on ESPNU.