ATHENS, Ohio - Derrius Vick, making his first start at quarterback for Ohio, passed for four touchdowns in leading the Bobcats to a 44-10 rout against Norfolk State Saturday in nonconference play.
Ohio, now 4-0 for the first time since 1976, jumped all over Norfolk State (2-2) with a 24-0 first quarter. Vick, starting in place of injured Tyler Tettleton, threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter. He hit Donte Foster on a 10-yarder to open the scoring, then found running back Beau Blankenship on a 24-yard touchdown. Blankenship later scored on a 2-yard run to make it 24-0.
Vick, who finished 14 of 20 for 199 yards and no interceptions, threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Thompson in the third quarter. Vick's second scoring pass to Foster, a 13-yarder, upped the lead to 41-0.
Norfolk State finally scored in the fourth quarter on Randy Maynes' 7-yard run.
Fellow junior Beau Blankenship also accounted for a pair of touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving) as he gained a game-high 109 yards on the ground on 25 carries.
Defensively, Ohio picked off NSU quarterback Nico Flores twice, holding him to just 63 yards passing. Backup quarterback Jake Basmagian also struggled as he went just 8-of-14 for 68 yards. Senior cornerback Mose Denton led the Bobcats with seven tackles.
Fellow senior Alphonso Lewis also chipped in defensively as he registered six tackles (five solo). Junior Keith Moore collected team-best 1.5 tackles for loss, and finished the afternoon with five total tackles.
Mount Union 52, Marietta 0
MARIETTA -Division III powerhouse Mount Union ovepowered Marietta College Saturday night at Don Drumm Stadium, dominating the Pioneers in a 52-0 Ohio Athletic Conference contest.
Mount Union (3-0) outgained Marietta 496 yards to 90, holding the Pioneers to 10 first downs.
Marietta (0-3) trailed just 7-0 after the first quarter and 24-0 at halftime before the Purple Raiders tacked on four second half touchdowns.
