Ohio football freshman sets school record for most TD's by non-QB in Myrtle Beach Bowl

Ohio University football running back Rickey Hunt earned his first start of the season in Saturday's Myrtle Beach Bowl, and the freshman didn't waste a second.

Scoring five touchdowns and racking up 133 total yards, Hunt scored the most touchdowns of any non-quarterback player in Ohio football history. The freshman's big day also gave him the most touchdowns in Myrtle Beach Bowl history.

"I did not see this performance coming at all," Hunt said after the game. "These last two weeks were shaky. We lost some big players. But we knew the running back room could handle ourselves."

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Hunt, who carried the ball just six times for 19 yards prior to Saturday's contest, got the starting role after Bobcats running backs Sieh Bangura and O'Shaan Alisson entered the transfer portal earlier this month.

Admittedly nervous before the game, Hunt says his preparation this season paid off Saturday.

"I'm not going to lie, this morning, waking up, I was kind of nervous, very nervous," he said. "I was like, Alright, this is a big game, my first game ever. We just stayed calm and stayed to our roots. We was ready for this moment."

The freshman scored his first touchdown with 12:22 left in the second quarter. From there, he made a one-handed grab on a jump pass for an 18-yard touchdown a few minutes before halftime. He would score three times in the second half, including on a 40-yard dash up the middle and another on a 9-yard run to the pylon.

While it might have been just his third game of his collegiate football career, Hunt left a lasting impression.

"This win shows we can go through anything," Hunt said. "As long as we stay together, we can get through anything, so it's going to be a real great season next year."

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Ohio Bobcat football's Rickey Hunt sets record with 5 TDS in Myrtle Beach Bowl