The intensity was there, the effort was there, but in the end the Skyhawk football team found itself on the short end of a 29-3 score in the debut of head coach Jason Simpson.

Despite total stats that nearly reflected those of Ohio, the Skyhawks found themselves in an early hole and were never able to threaten the Bobcats.

Neither offense made much of a showing on a day when the defenses dominated the statistics. Don Chapman picked up only 56 yards on 23 carries as the Bobcat defenders made him their primary focus. By shutting him down, the home team forced the Skyhawks’ inexperienced quarterbacks into the spotlight.

“Honestly, Don is our most productive player on offense, and we want to keep feeding him the ball. I just feel very unfortunate for him that there weren’t enough holes there, which is something we have to work on because he’s a physical back,” Simpson said.

Freshman quarterback Dexter Anoka made an impressive first start, completing 11-of-18 pass attempts for a total of 72 yards. His biggest play was a 34-yard completion to Jamaal Akbar in the second quarter.

“Dexter did some good things. There are some things we have to clean up but he gives you an excellent dimension with his athletic ability. We’ll keep working with him and we’ll be better Thursday,” Simpson said.

The Skyhawks opened the game by going three-and-out and gaining only two yards on a Don Chapman run.

The Skyhawks controlled the time of possession by a slim margin, holding the ball for 22:59 compare to the Bobcats’ 22:01.

Field position hurt the Skyhawks, whose best starting position came in the second quarter when they began a drive on the Ohio 32-yard line following a Dante Harrold interception.

As a result of the two teams’ offensive struggles, both punters got plenty of work. Skyhawk Adam Ivey punted four times for an average of 35 yards, including a long of 44 yards. Ohio’s Matt Lasher pinned the Skyhawks deep in their own territory on several occasions, averaging 42.4 yards on five punts, including three inside the 20 yard line. The Skyhawks failed to return any of Lasher’s punts, furthering their field position woes.

Bad field position combined with a stiff Ohio defense nearly shut out the Skyhawks. Taylor Brown put the Skyhawks on the scoreboard with an 18-yard field goal with 5:29 remaining in the third quarter. Penalties also crippled the Skyhawks’ chances to drive the ball down the field. Simpson’s team committed 11 penalties for 85 yards.

“The penalties are to be expected, but they’re very silly. One of them actually, as coaches we have to take the blame for them, but we have to get that corrected,” Simpson said.

The Skyhawks were whistled for having too many players on the field in the first quarter one play after a two-yard gain by Jaymond Perry was erased by an illegal block penalty.

The bright spot for the Skyhawks was the defense, which limited the Ohio offense to 72 total yards.

“It’s no secret we are very proud of our defense. I thought they played very hard and very physical,” Simpson said.

“We didn’t help them out offensively or on special teams but all in all I am very pleased with their effort,” he continued.

Ohio starting quarterback Austen Everson completed only six of his 14 pass attempts for 30 yards.

The Bobcats’ special teams play made a difference in the game as they took advantage of a 46-yard second-quarter kickoff return by Joshua Abrams and a kickoff out-of-bounds to set up drives in good field position.

The Skyhawk offense compiled 120 total yards, including 74 through the air, but could not sustain a drive long enough to give themselves a legitimate scoring opportunity.

The Skyhawks will begin a three-game homestand on Thursday when they return to Graham Stadium to take on NAIA member Urbana University beginning at 6 p.m.. That game will be followed by home games against Gardner-Webb and Ohio Valley Conference foe Jacksonville State.