The script was familiar, as Ohio turned the ball over early and fell behind its opponent. This time, however, the Cats responded in fine fashion after falling behind 17-0 to WMU Saturday at Peden Stadium. Trailing 31-20 as the third quarter ended, Ohio (0-1 MAC, 1-3 overall) took the lead 32-31 with 8:58 left in the game.

The comeback was short-lived, as WMU scored within a minute-and-a-half, taking a 39-32 lead on Phil Reed's 1-yard touchdown with 7:29 remaining. WMU's winning drive was only 4 plays and 35 yards, as Western was aided by a Bobcat unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Ohio's failed two-point conversion and a 42-yard kickoff return.

Trailing 38-31 with 57 seconds left and 70 yards short of the end zone, Ohio's last-ditch drive moved into WMU territory but stalled when Freddie Ray's fourth-down pass for Scott Mayle fell to the turf with five seconds left.

Ray was the offensive hero for Ohio, completing 12 of 26 passes for 215 yards and 1 touchdown, the highest output through the air for a Bobcat QB in recent memory. He also ran for 84 yards and 2 TD's on the day. Mayle caught the ball twice for 99 yards and a touchdown and also scored on a 23-yard touchdown run.