Nathan Rourke doesn’t remember when the nerves went away. The game, his first as a Bobcat, was a blur.
When the quarterback took the field Saturday, he made it his own, rushing for three touchdowns in Ohio’s 59-0 home opener win against Hampton.
“Well, I think just running out there for the first time with, you know, smoke and the band and all those people and stuff like that,” he said. “That really culminated a crazy journey to get to this point."
Rourke, an Oakville, Ontario, native, travelled a long road to Ohio that included playing football at three schools in two countries over the past three years. He left home after eleventh grade to play at a high school in Alabama, then spent a year at a junior college in Kansas before transferring to Ohio.
In front of his parents, brother and other family members, Rourke looked like he was at home against the Pirates. He thundered for 50 yards on six carries and commanded five scoring drives, while also throwing for 72 yards on 6-of-10 passing.
“It was just great to get out there and kind of get into a rhythm of things,” Rourke said. “Hopefully this is just building blocks for the future.”
Since arriving in Athens in spring, Rourke awaited his chance. He became the second part of a two-quarterback system, behind redshirt sophomore Quinton Maxwell, who started six games last season.
Maxwell was named the starter against Hampton earlier in the week, but Rourke was told he’d play. He said he didn’t know how much he’d play, but having the opportunity was all he needed to prepare himself mentally.
“And that’s really the mentality I’m going to go in with every week, whether they tell me or not,” Rourke said Tuesday. “I’m going to rest my head on the pillow the night before, saying, ‘You know what? This is a game that I gotta prepare that I might get in for.’”
The opportunity came on Ohio’s first possession of the second quarter, with the team up just seven points. Rourke crafted a safe but steady touchdown drive from Ohio’s 18-yard line, with all but one of the 16 plays going for positive yards. In the red zone, he sped right, evaded a Hampton defender with a shoulder shake and dove past the front pylon for the score.
In the first half, Ohio ran the ball on 18 of the 23 plays with Rourke at quarterback. Coach Frank Solich said the playcalling was to ignite the running game rather than to ease in a quarterback making his first-ever Division I start.
“Obviously, he makes good decisions, too,” said Solich, referencing the run-pass option his offense uses. “And he’s a good running quarterback. And so we kept the ball on the ground.”
Rourke’s night wasn’t without mistakes, which showed up on his fourth drive. He short-hopped a throw to a wide-open receiver that cost the Bobcats a first down and underthrew a short pass a few plays later.
Maxwell, who took more chances passing downfield than Rourke, finished 7-for-9 for 100 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
In the long run, a two-quarterback system may not work. But Rourke’s first game proved that it can, at least for now.
“It’s very difficult to get through a season with one quarterback not getting at least banged up a little bit, to where it’s tough for him to operate at a high efficiency every game,” Solich said. "Right now, we’re working at building two guys into being able to operate our football team. That was a good first step.”
