Bobcats win catfight against Kentucky
Published 12:00 am Sunday, October 3, 2004
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Scott Mayle caught touchdown passes of 44 and 89 yards as Ohio posted a rare win over a major-conference opponent, beating Kentucky 28-16 on Saturday night.
Ohio (3-2) beat a major-conference team for the first time since 2000, when the Bobcats downed Minnesota. Ohio, a member of the Mid-American Conference, also beat Maryland in 1997, but otherwise hadn't defeated a major-conference foe since a 1973 win over Northwestern.
Kentucky (1-3) hadn't lost to such a lightly regarded foe since 1994, when the Southeastern Conference team fell to Northeast Louisiana during a 1-10 season. Kentucky beat Ohio 35-14 last year.
Ohio led 14-10 at halftime and forced five Kentucky turnovers in the second half, one as the Wildcats appeared poised to take the lead. Still trailing 14-10, Kentucky had reached the Ohio 10 early in the fourth quarter when linebacker Matt Muncy intercepted a pass from Shane Boyd.
Four plays later, Ohio quarterback Austen Everson threw a slant pass to Mayle, who broke a tackle and completed the 89-yard scoring play, the second-longest pass in Ohio history.
With more than eight minutes remaining, Kentucky went for it on fourth-and-13 from its own 35 on its next series, and when Boyd's deep pass eluded the grasp of Scott Mitchell, Ohio had prime field position. Kalvin McRae scored on a 12-yard run to seal the win for the Bobcats.
Mayle finished with four catches for a career-high 157 yards, one week after he had five catches for 134 yards in a 34-0 win over Buffalo.