ATHENS – Ohio scored a go-ahead touchdown shortly before halftime and then held off South Alabama in the second half to get into the win column with a 27-20 victory – the 600th in program history – in its home opener Saturday evening at Peden Stadium.

"I think it's pretty cool,” Ohio coach Tim Albin said. “There's a lot of former Bobcats and administrators that have a lot to do with that. In all the pictures of coach [Bill] Hess, he's got the block "O" on, and I wear that in his honor. Don Peden, right. Frank Solich. There's a lot of history in those 600 wins, and Brooke [Albin] and I are humbled to serve this university and be a part of it."

Responding to a game-tying touchdown by the Jaguars with 1:25 left in the first half, the Bobcats (1-1) needed just 49 seconds to take the lead for good. Parker Navarro threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Chase Hendricks to make it 17-10.

Ohio also opened the second half with a touchdown drive capped by a Navarro 10-yard touchdown run. Navarro had a huge game, going 20-of-28 passing for 204 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 62 yards and a touchdown.

South Alabama (0-2) got back in the game with a touchdown drive that included a fourth-down conversion and ended with Bishop Davenport throwing a 9-yard scoring pass to Jamaal Pritchett with 1:52 left in the third quarter.

Navarro fumbled on Ohio’s next play from scrimmage, but the defense was able to hold South Alabama to a 38-yard Laith Marjan field goal to preserve a lead, 24-20, early in the fourth quarter.

Two possessions later, the Bobcats put together an eight-minute drive to eat up much of the remaining clock, but they came up short of the end zone and instead settled for a Gianni Spetic 26-yard field goal with 3:16 remaining.

That gave the Jaguars a chance with a seven-point deficit, but they went three-and-out and never got the ball back. Anthony Tyus III picked up 15 yards on a third-and-15 play to allow the Bobcats to run out the remaining time.

Rickey Hunt Jr. had a 59-yard run that helped set up the game’s first points, a Spetic 45-yard field goal with 3:30 left in the first quarter.

A South Alabama turnover set up the game’s first touchdown. Long snapper Colby Garfield recovered a muffed punt by Jamaal Pritchett, and then led to a Tyus 7-yard touchdown run that made it a 10-0 game.

"We [special teams] don't get much attention, so honestly, I didn't know how to feel about it,” Garfield said. “I mean, our job is just to go unnoticed on the team. It's just an amazing feeling.”

After quick possessions by both teams, the Jaguars finally got on the board. Davenport had completions of 13 and 26 yards to set up a Marjan 28-yard field goal at the 4:29 mark.

On South Alabama’s next possession, a roughing the passer penalty negated a Stellan Bowman interception, and eventually, the Jaguars tied the score at 10 on Fluff Bothwell’s 8-yard touchdown run. But they left enough time for the Bobcats to answer.

Tyus finished with 74 yards on 17 carries for the Bobcats, while Hunter ran the ball six times for 73 yards.

Seven different players caught passes for Ohio, led by Hendricks with four receptions for 65 yards. Rodney Harris II had four catches for 43 yards, and Coleman Owen caught five passes for 33 yards.

Davenport went 23-of-37 passing for 226 yards and a touchdown, completing five of those to Devin Voisin for 77 yards. Pritchett had eight catches for 67 yards. Bothwell ran 10 times for 70 yards.

The Bobcats host Morgan State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Peden Stadium.