After Ohio running back A.J. Ouellette completed his first 100-yard rushing game in nearly two years, he made it sound easy.
Ouellette, a redshirt junior, was part of the Bobcats’ runaway third quarter that helped them to a 42-30 win over Kansas at Peden Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“I did my job, which was running behind the big boys,” said Ouellette, who finished with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. “I think I broke maybe two tackles the whole game. The holes were wide open.”
Leading by 11 points at halftime, Ohio (2-1) received the third quarter kickoff and marched deep into Kansas territory, led by two big passing plays from quarterback Nathan Rourke.
But the drive stalled when Quinton Maxwell — who temporarily replaced Rourke because a Kansas defender dented Rourke’s helmet on a facemask penalty — threw an interception in the end zone.
Kansas (1-2) gave the ball back on the next play on a pass intercepted by cornerback Jalen Fox. Ouellette ran for 32 yards on four straight plays after that and wound up in the end zone.
Two quick possession changes, followed by a commitment to the running game, set Ohio up for one of its best quarters so far this season. The Bobcats scored 14 points in the third, gaining 77 rushing yards on 17 carries while throwing just five times.
Most importantly, Ohio held possession for 11:27 of the 15 minutes.
“I never felt like we were threatened at the moment,” coach Frank Solich said of his team’s play in the third. “But a game like this could turn into a situation where all of a sudden you’re battling at the end if you’re not careful.”
Running the ball in the first half was a battle for Ohio, though Solich noted that hit-and-miss run attacks are “just kind of what college all is about.”
Ouellette burst through a hole on Ohio’s first play of the game, sprinting down the left sideline for 63 yards. But he gained just four yards on his next four carries.
Dorian Brown gashed the Jayhawks for 26 yards on his second carry of the game, but the Bobcats were stuffed for negative-six rush yards in the second quarter.
“If you’re able to run the ball easily in the first half, then you got an easy day,” Solich said. “But that doesn’t come along very often, especially against Power 5 (conference) teams … you weren’t just gonna jam it down their throat.”
Except that’s what Ohio did in the third. After Ouellette’s touchdown, it was Brown’s turn to run wild. He took nine carries — including four in a row, twice — on a 12-play, 84-yard drive that ended in a passing touchdown from Rourke to receiver Andrew Meyer.
A three-headed backfield of Ouellette, Brown and freshman Julian Ross has stayed healthy through three games and given Solich a welcomed repertoire of runners. The trio rushed for seven yards per carry against Kansas.
The small downside is that 100-yard games may not come around often when all three backs are in rotation. It’s a tradeoff that’s more than a fair for a position group that was depleted by injuries last season.
