Brandon Schoen Video | Sydney Omameh Video

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Dominican's football team ripped off 42 unanswered points in the second half to run away with a 59-14 season-opening victory over Malone on Saturday at Panther Stadium, the 16th consecutive regular season win streak for the program.

ODU (#13 AFCA, #10 D2Football.com) came up with six takeaways as Malone had the ball for just over seven minutes in the second half, and the Panther defense limited the Pioneers to just 2.2 yards per carry (97 yards on 45 attempts.)

Junior Sydney Omameh (Westerville, Ohio) notched a career-high 10 tackles (1.5 for loss), while classmate Cody Culbertson (Galloway, Ohio) had eight stops, forced two fumbles and had a sack.

The offense, meanwhile, racked up 480 yards, with 206 yards on the ground and 274 in the air without turning the ball over. ODU registered 28 points in the third quarter alone, the most points in a single quarter since scoring 31 in the third quarter against Notre Dame College in 2012. The 42 points in the second half are the most since also scoring 42 in the first half against Malone, also in 2012.

Senior quarterback Mark Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio) tied a career-high with four touchdown passes, completing 18 of 27 throws for 239 yards, and surpassed 5,000 career passing yards. Junior running back Brandon Schoen (Olentangy, Ohio) ran for 93 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries and also had 83 yards receiving.

The Panthers scored on each of their first two possessions. Schoen's 39 yard on the offense's first play would set up a two-yard plunge by freshman Grant Russell (Newark, Ohio), and Schoen caught a swing pass in the flat and broke loose for a 79 yard touchdown scamper on the next drive, the fifth-longest pass play in school history.

Malone answered with a touchdown at the end of the first quarter, and after a Brent Wahle (Pataskala, Ohio) 36 yard field goal early in the second made it 17-6, the Pioneers controlled ODU's offense. Malone scored a touchdown on the last play of the half and converted on a two-point pass play to cut it to 17-14 at the break.

But it was all ODU from that point.  The Panthers marched 75 yards on nine plays on the opening drive of the half, capped off by a six yard touchdown pass to senior Abe Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio), to make it 24-14.

Malone fumbled the ensuing kickoff, setting up the Panthers inside the MU 20, and Schoen scored from four yards out to give the Panthers a 31-14 lead.

Later in the third, Demetrius Farmer (Dover, Ohio) forced a fumble that Omameh fell on at the Pioneer 20, and Miller again hooked up with Johnson on a short TD, this one from four yards out, that extended the lead to 38-14.

Miller closed the scoring out in the third quarter with a 36 yard touchdown strike to junior Dez Stewart (Cincinnati, Ohio), extending the lead to 45-14.

Russell had another TD run in the fourth, and freshman Austin Ernst (Cincinnati, Ohio) threw a three yard touchdown pass to JT McFarland (Zanesville, Ohio) later in the period to cap the scoring for ODU.

Twelve different receivers caught at least one pass and eight players carried the ball for ODU in a balanced offensive effort.

Other defensive contributors included sophomore Marquise Tyus (Cleveland, Ohio), who had a career-high eight tackles, and juniors Brad McCurdy (Columbus, Ohio) and Warren Shields (Richwood, Ohio) with seven tackles apiece. Farmer had two tackles for loss and senior Jordan Murph (Cincinnati, Ohio) recovered a pair of fumbles, while junior Da'Twane Harris (Cleveland, Ohio) forced a fumble and had a big hit to break up a pass.

With the win, the Panthers improved to 8-3 overall all-time in season openers. The five fumble recoveries tied a school record, and the 59 points scored are tied for the ninth-most in a game in school history.

Ohio Dominican hits the road next week to take on Grand Valley State at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Contact: Scott Miles
miless@ohiodominican.edu