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EVANSTON, Ill. – The Ohio football team (0-4) concluded non-conference play Saturday afternoon, falling to Northwestern (2-2), 35-6 inside Ryan Field. 
 
"First half for sure we had drives," head coach Tim Albin said. "I think we had more plays in the first half then they did. They did not finish, and we had that same problem last week against Louisiana. We are beat up, up front, and we are caught, as a staff from trying to have schemes to take advantage of some of the strength that they have in the O line and D line. And then you get it mixed in with young guys and it's a tough spot. With the youth that we have playing right now up there and trying to do too many things at the line of scrimmage with those guys. So we're going to have to look at that as a staff." 
 
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kurtis Rourke (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) went 20-of-29 with 166 yards, while redshirt fifth year quarterback Armani Rogers (Los Angeles, Calif.) finished 1-for-3, but was the Bobcats leading rusher with 68 yards on the ground, including a 55-yard touchdown to end the game. On the receiving end, redshirt fifth year senior wide receiver Cameron Odom (Bedford, Ohio) led the Bobcats with five catches for 42 years. 
 
Defensively, redshirt sophomore linebacker Cannon Blauser (Hilliard, Ohio) led Ohio with seven tackles, six solo, one assisted, 1.5 tackles for loss, one quarterback hurry and one fumble recovery.  
 
"The offense could not help the defense today.," Albin said. "I'm proud of the defense. They come out in the second half and got to stop. We challenged them at halftime and they're able to do that."
 
The Bobcats opened the game with the ball and drove down the field, going 61 yards on 13 plays and taking seven minutes off the clock. Unfortunately, the Bobcats were unable to capitalize, missing a 31-yard field goal attempt. The Ohio defense stepped up on Northwestern's first drive, forcing a three-and-out.
 
However, on the ensuing drive, Rourke fumbled the ball on the Ohio 47. The Wildcats went on to score on their next to possessions, taking a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. 
 
After the Bobcats were unable to generate anything to open the second quarter, Northwestern set up a drive that started on their own 30-yard line. Thanks to penalties from both sides, the Bobcats' defense was able to keep Northwestern out of the endzone and force a 24-yard field goal, which the Wildcats missed, keeping it a two-score game with 9:40 left in the second quarter. 
 
Northwestern was able to capitalize on a drive at the end of the first half, hitting a 24-yard field goal to put the Wildcats up 17-0 going into halftime. 
 
In the first half, the Ohio offense totaled 178 yards, with 125 coming from the pass game and 53 on the ground. 
 
The Bobcats defense opened the second half by forcing Northwestern to punt. After neither team put points on the board during the third quarter, Northwestern added a 26-yard field goal to put the Wildcats up, 20-0, with 14:52 left in the game. 
 
After Northwestern intercepted a tipped pass from Rourke, Blauser was able to recover a Wildcats' fumble, setting Ohio up on their own 13-yard line. The Bobcats were unable to capitalize on the play and Northwestern went on to score two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, putting the Wildcats up, 35-0. 
 
Ohio was able to get on the board in the final seconds of the game when Rogers scrambled for a 55-yard rushing touchdown as time expired, putting six on the board for the 'Cats. 
 
Ohio opens Mid-American Conference play on Saturday, Oct. 2 when Ohio heads to Akron. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN3. 
 
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