By STEVE CORNELIUS, ChJ Sports Editor
Knoxville. Tenn. — After a Chris Garrett 95-yard kick-off return score and a two-yard touchdown pass form Theo Scott to LaVon Brazill, the Ohio University Bobcats led Tennessee 14-7 midway through the opening quarter. The Bobcats only trailed the Vols by four points with 6:40 left in the third quarter.
And while Ohio eventually succumbed to the Vols in the end in a 34-23 setback, the Bobcats were not intimidated by the tradition of Neyland Stadium.
Former Southwestern High School standout Lee Renfro, as a senior captain, did his part at the defensive linebacker position to make the game competitive all the way down to the final horn.
“It was awesome to be out there playing against a SEC football team,” Renfro said. “Tennessee is a great football team, they are a physical team, and it is great to be able to compete with them. But I feel we have a great team and we fought hard, but we just couldn’t find a way to win in the end.”
Renfro admitted he was a bit taken back when he first stepped into Tennessee's Neyland Stadium on Friday during the team’s walk-throughs.
“It was very surreal especially coming into Neyland Stadium on Friday in the walk-through and taking it all in,” Renfro admitted. “It was amazing taking in the stadium and thinking about the players that have played on that field and the tradition down here in Tennessee. It was an amazing experience and I feel blessed to have been here.”
But Renfro and the Bobcat football team are no strangers to playing against big time collegiate programs. Last season, the Bobcats took their cross-state Ohio State Buckeyes to the fourth quarter in a 26-14 loss in Columbus, Ohio.
According to Renfro, the Bobcats’ performance against Tennessee should give them plenty of confidence going into the competitive MAC Conference play.
“This game was a great game for us in the sense that we now know we can play with the big boys,” Renfro stated. “We have talented guys and we fight. This game will give us a lot of confidence going into MAC play. We hope our strong play will carry over and we can learn from our mistakes and continue to get better.”
“Playing here at Neyland Stadium and playing at Ohio State in Columbus were great experiences,” Renfro added. “My entire experience here at Ohio University has been great.”
Renfro and his Ohio teammates now have to get down to business and work their way through a tough MAC conference schedule that begins this Saturday, Oct. 3, at Bowling Green
“Yeah, coming here and winning this game would have been a dream come true,” Renfro admitted. “We want to continue to work hard, try to win the MAC and hopefully make it to a bowl game. That would be the best thing I can think of.”
For the game, Renfro had 2 solo tackles and 4 assists. For the season, Renfro has 12 solo tackles and 24 assists in 4 games played.
The Bobcats (2-2) are looking for their first MAC conference title in over 40 years and they are looking for their first bowl game since their 2007 appearance in the GMAC Bowl.
