Ohio beats West Virginia 17-10 in Rich Rodriguez's first road test

Audio By Carbonatix

ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — Parker Navarro threw one touchdown pass and Ohio overcame his three interceptions and held on to beat West Virginia 17-10 on Saturday.

Ohio (1-1), the defending Mid-American Conference champion, beat a Big 12 opponent for the second time in three years.

“Extremely proud of this team,” said first-year Ohio coach Brian Smith.

West Virginia (1-1) lost preseason all-Big 12 running back Jahiem White to a second-quarter injury and never recovered.

Navarro maintained long drives with his scrambling and, more importantly, kept the Mountaineers’ offense off the field.

Ohio managed a total of three points on two straight drives inside the West Virginia 20 before Navarro started picking apart the Mountaineer defense. The Bobcats scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half. Navarro's 15-yard scramble set up Sieh Bangura’s 1-yard TD run and, after West Virginia punted, Navarro hit Chase Hendricks with a 31-yard scoring pass for a 17-7 halftime lead. Hendricks finished with eight catches for 121 yards.

Navarro threw three second-half interceptions but West Virginia couldn't capitalize and punted each time. Navarro completed 22 of 31 passes for 247 yards and ran 18 times for 87 yards.

Hendricks said Navarro kept his composure despite the up-and-down outing.

“I never saw him flinch," Hendricks said. “I don't think it bothered him. He was poised on the sideline, knowing our defense was playing good.”

The Mountaineers had plenty of opportunities in Rich Rodriguez’s first road test since he returned for his second stint as their coach, but they managed just a field goal over the final three quarters.

Texas A&M transfer Jaylen Henderson replaced starter Nicco Marchiol for two series in the second half without success before Marchiol returned. Marchiol finished 15 of 26 for 178 yards.

“Very disappointed," Rodriguez said. "It starts with me. I told the guys I failed them this week. I knew there would be some growing pains. We’ll get better from this.”

White was pulled down on a horse-collar tackle by Ohio’s Jalen Thomeson, who was called for a personal foul facemask penalty on the same play.

White, who scored on a 32-yard run in the first quarter, was taken to a medical tent, then was driven off the field on a cart. Rodriguez said he had not received an update from the medical staff on the injury after the game.

In the Cure Bowl last December, Navarro led the Bobcats to a 30-27 win over Jacksonville State. Several Jacksonville State defenders transferred to West Virginia with Rodriguez, who left the Gamecocks prior to the bowl game.

“He's phenomenal,” Rodriguez said.

West Virginia: Losing White for the long term would be a huge blow to the Mountaineers' season. The junior was named to the all-Big 12 preseason team by league coaches after rushing for 845 yards a year ago.

Ohio: The Bobcats outgained West Virginia 429-250 and held a 2-1 advantage in time of possession despite Navarro's interceptions.

“The job our defense did, the plan that they had to knock out the run was awesome,” Smith said.

West Virginia: Hosts archrival Pittsburgh next Saturday.

Ohio: Plays at No. 1 Ohio State next Saturday.

___

Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football