OHIO 5- UMASS 4, byline Athens, OH
In Tom McCabe's triumphant return to officiating, UMASS opens the scoring when they sack Tyler Tettleton at the UMASS twenty-five yard line as he misses Beau Blankenship with a failed hand off on OHIO's most predictable and infamous "Hey Diddle Diddle, Beau Up the Middle" play, and McCabe mistakenly calls the play a safety as he had fallen head over tea kettle and lost his bearings on the field of play.
In the third quarter, after a Josiah Yazdani 17 yard field goal, with OHIO having kicked a field goal on first and goal from the one inch line, OHIO is called for two one point penalties on two successive drives as McCabe throws flags for the newly instituted "Tettletoning" penalty.
In an emergency session of the NCAA rules committee on Wednesday, November 27th, a penalty was created by the committee to preserve the integrity of the game by penalizing quarterbacks for sitting on the field under pass rush. These are the first two cases of Tettletoning being called in live action.
To cap the scoring in the fourth quarter, and in an attempt to put the Minutemen up by four with two minutes remaining in the game, Charley Molnar attempts a seventy yard field goal which falls thirty yards short of the end zone, and the ball is picked up by OHIO's Matt Morton, who playing his first game for the Green and White, returns the ball seventy yards and is awarded a two point conversion by McCabe, solidifying the victory for the Cats.
In the post game press conference, it is noted by MAC Director of Officials that the the return for conversion should have been awarded six points, and McCabe is immediately put to death by firing squad in front of the Ohio University graffiti wall, which is promoting Alpha Delta Pi's upcoming bake sale.
As a result of the victory, OHIO earns a spot in the Poinsettia Bowl on December 26th in San Diego, CA, where Certified Pigskin Analyst Monroe Slavin will be provided an opportunity to give OHIO's coaching staff and outgoing seniors the business up close and personal.
At the Poinsettia Bowl Monroe finds himself seated next to Mickey and Sylvia some other Ohio fans. Monroe introduces himself as the "biggest Ohio guy around" and Sylvia recognizes him immediately. She smiles politely and commences slapping Monroe . Mickey does his best to help Monroe, but, she can't be stopped until TT arrives to help calm his mom. Monroe is severely shaken. TT, very sorry for his mom's behavior, offers to let Monroe call the game's first play. Monroe, still groggy and shaken can only think to say "B,B,Beau up the middle." Well, it was going to be"Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass," but, TT convinces Albin to change it for Monroe. TT asks the team to run this one for Monroe who all the players know and love. For Monroe they block like never before and Beau goes 80 for a TD. Solich resolves that in Monroe's honor Ohio will begin every game "up the middle."