Myrtle Beach Bowl: Ohio's Strong Defense, Run Game Lead To 41-21 Win

To kick off bowl season, Georgia Southern and Ohio met in Conway, South Carolina for the Myrtle Beach Bowl. From the beginning, Tim Alpin's Bobcat team had the jump on Clay Helton's Eagles. Ohio ended their season with a 41-21 victory and the Ohio program's seventh bowl win.

The Bobcats also achieved a ten-win season for the second-consecutive year, finishing 10-3. Georgia Southern will finish 6-7 for the second consecutive season. 

Here's what stood out...

Ohio Defense Thrives

In the first half especially, the Bobcat defense didn't give Davis Brin and company much breathing room. Georgia Southern's offense managed a net total of 35 yards in the first half. 

Turnovers were a constant issue for the Eagles this season and that continued on Saturday. Ohio forced a whopping five takeaways, all by different players, including three in the first half.

Parker Navarro Steps Up After Kurtis Rourke Decision

Kurtis Rourke ended his time as a Bobcat as one of the program's best quarterbacks in history. Earlier this week, Rourke announced his commitment to transfer to Indiana University.

That left quarterback duties to senior and former UCF quarterback Parker Navarro. In his first college starts, Navarro completed 11 passes on 16 attempts for 120 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 71 yards on 15 carries.

Ohio running back Rickey Hunt also had a tremendous day, setting an Ohio single-game record with five total touchdowns. Hunt carried 17 times for 115 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught one pass for an 18-yard touchdown. 

Rushing for 232 yards total, the Ohio offense also controlled time of possession, holding the ball for 33:15.

Silver Linings For Georgia Southern

Admittedly, it took far too long to get going, but the Georgia Southern offense did make some positive things happen in the second half, preventing the final score from being much worse. Davis Brin broke the Myrtle Beach Bowl Record for passing yards with 350 yards with 32 completions on 42 attempts.

The Eagles are still looking for their first bowl win and their first winning season under Helton.