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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Ohio collected its first Mid-American Conference win of the season after it defeated Bowling Green 38-7 at Doyt L. Perry Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The Bobcats' determination to win showed the minute they stepped onto the field. They ended the day with 328 total yards on offense and held the Falcons to 206, the Bobcats' second-lowest opponent total of the season.
"I'm really happy with the guys today," head coach Tim Albin said. "How the game went, I thought we handled ourselves very, very well. To the point where I'm very proud of our guys and what they're able to get done."
All three phases of Ohio's game went well. Ohio had plenty of cushion despite allowing a last-minute touchdown in the fourth quarter to break the shutout.
Ohio's offense exploded in the first half after graduate student linebacker Keye Thompson cut Bowling Green's first drive short. Thompson intercepted a pass from Connor Bazelak on the Bowling Green 36-yard line to set Ohio up on offense. After a quick 29-yard pass from graduate student quarterback Kurtis Rourke to redshirt sophomore running back Sieh Bangura, Ohio was on the board. Rourke ended the game with 196 passing yards.
The Bobcats didn't let time lapse between scoring drives. They picked up where they left off when Redshirt sophomore tight end Will Kacmarek caught a 10-yard pass off of a Falcon's helmet for his second touchdown of the season on the next offensive drive.
"The tight ends are weapons. We've got to continue on offense to find ways to get them the ball because they're very talented," Albin said.
Ohio's defense pitched in on the offensive barrage as well. Two defensive players picked up their first career touchdowns in the first half.
Thompson scooped up a forced fumble by redshirt sophomore cornerback Torrie Cox Jr. for a 71-yard return in the first quarter. Redshirt junior cornerback Roman Parodie followed suit in the second quarter. He collected a forced fumble from graduate student linebacker Bryce Houston, who led Ohio with six tackles, for a 28-yard return.
"When you get that kind of production from a defense, offensively, you can get a lead and sometimes it can snowball," Albin said. "It speaks volumes to the guys on defense. Coach (Spence) Nowinsky's got them flying around."
Bowling Green's offense didn't have a solid chance to score due to Ohio's mobile defense. Redshirt senior defensive tackle Rayyan Buell sacked Bazelak for a loss of eight yards on third down to force a punt. Buell leads Ohio in sacks this season with two-and-a-half.
The Falcons faced a similar fate in the third quarter. The Bobcats jumped on the Falcons' offense immediately. Graduate student safety Walter Reynolds intercepted a pass from Bazelak for a 13-yard return on third down to prevent the Falcons from punting.
Junior wide receiver Miles Cross put the final touches on Ohio's attack. He caught a 19-yard pass from Rourke to bump the score to 38-0 before Bowling Green broke up the shutout.
Ohio may have had its highest-scoring game of the season, but it knows that it has more in the tank. Albin wants to see his team grow before it's next game, a 3:30 p.m. kickoff against Kent State on Oct. 7.
"We have not played our best game yet," Albin said.
#OUohyeah
