– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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FRISCO, TEXAS — For all of the good work that the Ohio Bobcats put in throughout the 2025 season, all of that was threatening to be undone by off-the-field news that both rocked the team and and shined a not-so-flattering spotlight on the university. For the players and coaches who were left to prepare for their final game of the season, the contest served as a final way to write the script it wanted to sign off on this season.
Sieh Bangura rushed for 149 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown as Ohio defeated UNLV 17-10 in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl on Tuesday night inside of the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco. Bobcats quarterback Parker Navarro completed 11 of 15 passes for 143 yards as Ohio won its seventh consecutive bowl game, now the second-longest active winning streak in bowls in the FBS. The Bobcats (9-4) have won their last seven bowl games — dating to 2017 — after losing eight of their first 10.
After its eight-win regular season, head coach Brian Smith was fired soon thereafter for having an affair with an undergraduate student and allegedly drinking in the school’s facilities. Defensive coordinator and interim head coach John Hauser led Ohio onto the field in this game, and his defense was instrumental in the Bobcats’ victory.
“I can’t speak highly enough of how [this team] operated,” Hauser said. “We just stayed together as a family, and they hit a lot of big goals today.”
Navarro had a 5-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper five minutes into the second quarter to give Ohio a 6-0 lead after the extra point was missed. UNLV (10-4) had a first down on the Bobcats’ 33-yard line with 32 seconds left in the half, but DJ Walker picked off an Anthony Colandrea pass in the end zone to keep it 6-0 going into intermission.
Bangura scored on a 23-yard run on Ohio’s first drive in the third quarter, and Navarro passed to Chase Hendricks for the two-point conversion and a 14-0 lead.
“The five guys up front, that O-line, did their thing that they did all game long,” Bangura said. “Then you add Parker in, who can run the ball and take pressure off me all night. We love to have the ball in our hands at the end of the game. So running the ball is what we do at Ohio, and it was a great way to end it.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Tuesday evening’s game, with photos taken by ALOST photo editor Ross James. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 30 pictures in total.
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