Ohio Stifles San Diego State En Route to Dominant 2018 Frisco Bowl Win
December 20, 2018
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 164 rushing yards and quarterback Nathan Rourke added 44 rushing yards and three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) as Ohio beat San Diego State 27-0 on Wednesday in the DXL Frisco Bowl at Toyota Stadium.
The Bobcats held the Aztecs to 287 yards from scrimmage, including just 134 through the air. San Diego State's five first-half drives went for a combined 64 yards.
Juwan Washington was the primary source of San Diego State offense with 129 rushing yards.
Ohio didn't have trouble moving the ball all night thanks in large part to Ouellette. Partially because of his efforts, four of Ohio's first five drives ended in two field goals and two touchdowns.
The Bobcats led 17-0 at halftime in a dominant performance. Per Spencer Holbrook of the Post, Ouelette had more rushing yards in the first half (97) than SDSU had allowed per game leading into Wednesday (94.6).
Pete Nakos (also of the Post) listed first-half stats showing that Ohio outgained SDSU, 215-69 from scrimmage and allowed just two completed passes (on five attempts) for 14 yards.
Another Ohio field goal put the team up 20-0 after the third quarter, but the icing on the cake occurred in the fourth quarter thanks to a trick play.
Ouellette, who had rushed for 1,142 yards and 12 touchdowns leading into the Frisco Bowl, took a fourth-quarter handoff before tossing the ball back to Rourke. The signal-caller then found senior wideout Andrew Meyer for a touchdown downfield to give the Bobcats a 26-0 lead in the fourth quarter:
The threat of another successful Ouellette rush helped set up the play, as the Aztecs defense collapsed on him while Rourke was free to find a wide-open Meyer.
Jason Arkley of the Athens Messenger also gave Ouellette credit for his pass protection on the night:
Ouellette's rushing went hand in hand with the Bobcats' tremendous defensive effort. That was led by senior linebacker Evan Croutch, who had 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks. His performance continued an excellent swan song, as the senior finishes the year with 90 tackles and 14 tackles for a loss.
Ouelette and Croutch finished as the game's offensive and defensive MVP, respectively.
Ohio ends the season 9-4, while SDSU closes at 7-6.