PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Ohio could not stop Rutgers on fourth down all night, and the Scarlet Knights’ final conversion put away a 34-31 victory to open the season Thursday night at SHI Stadium.

A turnover on downs would have given the Bobcats nearly two minutes with one timeout left to produce the tying or winning points, but Athan Kaliakmanis connected with DT Sheffield for a 10-yard game on fourth-and-7 from Ohio’s 28-yard line, and Rutgers was able to kneel out the clock. It was the fifth fourth-down conversion in five tries for the Knights.

That allowed the Big Ten opponent to overcome a huge night from Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro, who accounted for four touchdowns and 335 yards of total offense. He went 21-of-31 passing for three touchdowns and rushed nine times for 96 yards and another score, nearly rallying the Bobcats from a 17-point first-half deficit.

Kaj Sanders blocked a Mangus Haines punt, and Cam Miller recovered it in the end zone to give Rutgers a 31-14 lead with 3:22 left in the first half, but Ohio responded with 17 straight points to tie it.

Rutgers came up with a red zone stop that limited Ohio to a David Dellenbach 30-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the first half. With possession to begin the second half, the Bobcats found the end zone on a Navarro 17-yard run to make it 31-24. The Bobcats converted a fourth down of their own on the way, with Navarro hitting Chase Hendricks for a 6-yard gain on fourth-and-1 from Rutgers’ 34.

Finally, Ohio forced a fourth down that Rutgers did not go for, instead punting, and the Bobcats put together the game-tying drive. After drawing in defenders while rolling out wide, Navarro hit tight end Jake Bruno for a 13-yard score, making it 31-31 with 4:07 left in the third quarter.

"I'm definitely proud of how our guys fought, and the character they have, the trust and belief they have in each other," Ohio coach Brian Smith said. "It shows a lot of brightness for the future."

On the riskiest fourth down attempt of the night, the Knights needed a yard and got 4 from their own 34-yard line on the ensuing possession. That eventually led to Jai Patel’s 26-yard field goal to put them back on top with 11:11 remaining.

The Bobcats’ next drive crossed midfield before they opted to punt, leaving it up to the defense to get the ball back with 6:41 still on the clock. Rutgers got a big third-down conversion on a defensive holding penalty from its own 37 and drove on from there.

Antwan Raymond rushed for half of the needed yards on third-and-14, and rather than try a field goal that would have forced Ohio into needing a touchdown to win, Rutgers put the game away with a conversion pass over the middle.

The Scarlet Knights converted a pair of fourth downs on the game’s opening drive. They got a 10-yard catch from Sheffield on fourth-and-3 from Ohio’s 43, and then they scored on a 14-yard run by Raymond on fourth-and-2.

Navarro threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Mason Williams to answer for Ohio, but another fourth-down conversion kept alive a drive that ended with Patel kicking a 23-yard field goal on the second play of the second quarter.

A three-and-out by Ohio gave Rutgers good field position, and Rutgers needed just one play to take advantage. Sheffield got open deep for a 54-yard touchdown to make it 17-7. But the Bobcats had an answer again as Navarro hit Bruno for a 14-yard touchdown, making it 17-14.

Rutgers extended the lead to three scores in a two-minute span after that. Kaliakmanis hit KJ Duff for a 6-yard touchdown. Ohio gained one first down on the ensuing possession before attempting the punt that resulted in a block for a touchdown for the Knights.

"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 that game at the end," Smith said.

Hendricks had a huge night as Navarro’s top target, making nine catches for 115 yards. After transferring for one season to Minnesota, Sieh Bangura’s return to the Bobcats began with an 86-yard rushing game on 16 carries.

Kaliakmanis was strong for Rutgers, going 18-for-23 for 252 yards. Ian Strong made seven catches for 100 yards, and Sheffield had four receptions for 85 yards. Raymond ran 14 times for 88 yards.

Ohio outgained Rutgers 440-399, and there were no turnovers by either team.

The Bobcats’ challenging start to the season continues when they welcome West Virginia for a sold-out game at 4 p.m. next Saturday at Peden Stadium.