In a game that tested resilience and revealed character, Ohio University walked into Big Ten territory against Rutgers and left with more than just a final score. For Bobcats head coach Brian Smith, the matchup was a proving ground — for his program, for his quarterback Parker Navarro, and for a culture built on belief, not shortcuts.
“I think the thing that's really great is that there's a lot of guys in that room right now that see how they missed this opportunity to win the game and truly believe that they could have and should have won,” Smith said postgame. “And they're not happy that they were just in the game because they're playing a Big Ten team. They believe they could have and should have won this game.”
That attitude was clear in Navarro’s own words. The junior quarterback, who nearly landed at Notre Dame or USC before his path wound to Athens, Ohio, didn’t dwell on missed opportunities — he looked at the small margins.
“Yeah, it's a big honor. And I just think coming on the road, you gotta play your best,” Navarro said. “Coach always says, games like this, you gotta win it in the 4th quarter. … We just gotta be better in the 4th quarter, and we gotta clean up some mistakes offensively.”
Smith has seen Navarro’s journey firsthand, dating back to recruiting battles when he was still at Hawaii. That history adds another layer to their bond.
“He’s a special kid,” Smith said. “And the thing that I’m really proud of him is in the way college football is today, where so many kids are chasing the next opportunity and chasing money … he really saw the opportunity for him to be really successful here and embrace that. He embraced the trust, the connection, the love he has for his teammates. I’m sure he could have gotten more elsewhere, but that character and that faith is what makes him special.”
On the other sideline, Greg Schiano’s message was crystal clear: win the turnover battle, win the game. The Scarlet Knights may have escaped, but their head coach was frustrated by the missed chances to put the game away sooner.
“We’re 18-2 since we’ve been back in this second run when we don’t turn the ball over,” Schiano said. “So I always talk to the offense, it’s not that complicated, right? Don’t turn the ball over, you have a very good chance of winning the game. … I didn’t like the fact that we didn’t get any takeaways. I thought there were opportunities, and we didn’t take advantage of them.”
For Schiano, defense has always been the heartbeat of Rutgers football. Yet he admitted the performance was uneven, and stressed the need for “complementary football.”
“We’ve played really good defense around here, and we need to get better at that,” he said. “I wouldn’t say that’s indicative of Rutgers football. But complementary football, kind of bailing each other out — that’s what we need.”
In the end, Rutgers’ Big Ten pedigree carried the day, but Ohio walked away with validation. Smith’s Bobcats didn’t simply hang around — they believed they could win, and nearly did. Navarro’s poise, combined with the program’s fight, hints at a team that refuses to shrink on the big stage.
As Smith summed it up: “I’ve known Parker for a long time, and I’m just excited to see what this team becomes. They’re not satisfied just competing. They want to finish.”
For Rutgers, Schiano will keep swinging the ax, sharpening fundamentals until the Scarlet Knights’ defense looks like the one he demands. For Ohio, a near-miss in New Jersey might just be the spark for a season that proves the Bobcats are capable of more than moral victories.
A better brand, built by Vaughn & Co. ©
