All the Twitter mentions, Facebook tags and Instagram posts seeking Nathan Rourke’s attention will have to wait. Inspired by LeBron James and Steph Curry, Rourke buried his social media footprint in July and doesn’t plan to unearth it until after the season.
That means in the aftermath of his best game, a six-touchdown performance in Ohio’s 45-28 win over Miami on Tuesday night, he’ll miss out on the outpour of online buzz directed his way.
Besides, he said after the game that he’s already looking ahead to next week’s Toledo game as the biggest of the season.
“It’s not surprising that he said something like that,” coach Frank Solich said. “He’s very down to earth. He knows what it takes to win games. He knows that you can be a flash in the pan and play well for awhile as an individual or you can play well for awhile as a team, but if you don’t have any consistency about you then you’re not there.”
Rourke, a sophomore quarterback, has modeled consistency since taking over the starting spot Week 3. Since then, he’s accounted for multiple touchdowns in each game and three or more scores all but once.
He shone his brightest under the lights of the ESPN2 broadcast Tuesday in Ohio’s (7-2, 4-1 Mid-American Conference) first midweek game of the season, setting season highs in passing touchdowns (three), passing yards (294) and completions (21), while rushing 10 times for 54 yards and scoring three touchdowns.
The Bobcats regained a tie atop the MAC East Division with Akron, who they'll play on the road in two weeks. In the 94th edition of its storied "Battle of the Bricks" rivalry, Ohio won its fifth in a row against Miami (3-6, 2-3 MAC) and 10th in their past 11 meetings.
Rourke also flashed resiliency, pushing Ohio forward as Miami fought to keep the rivalry game tight.
In the third quarter, after the RedHawks erased a two-touchdown deficit for the second time in the game, Rourke led back-to-back scoring drives to distance his team for good.
He took Ohio 65 yards in six plays and capped the drive with an 11-yard strike to Jerrid Marhefka, the first career touchdown for the senior receiver. On the Bobcats’ next possession, Rourke plunged into the end zone for a one-yard score, his third rushing touchdown of the game.
“He’s just hungry for the end zone, I don’t know what to say,” said running back A.J. Ouellette, who’d tried to score on three previous plays. “He’s a little prettier getting into the end zone, too.”
For the first time in a month and a half, Rourke had his top two receiving targets, Brendan Cope and Papi White, together on the field. Cope and White combined for 10 catches, 169 yards and two touchdowns.
Rourke’s air attack helped overcome an uncharacteristically average running offensive, which came in as the best in the conference but accounted for a season-low 149 yards. It was the first time in seven games that the Bobcats didn’t have a 100-yard rusher.
“We’re not just a running football team,” Solich said. “Nathan, I think, is a really good passer. I don’t know that his stats haven’t shown maybe as well as they should in terms of the type of thrower he is.”
Tuesday’s game showed what type of player Rourke is. He can throw an accurate deep ball — as he did on a two-play, 79-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter — and beat defenders with his legs.
And his resume through nine games is already loaded with dizzying numbers: 16 rush touchdowns (second in the NCAA), 29 total touchdowns, 6.3 yards per carry and a 1-0 record against Ohio’s biggest rival. What he’s done to this point, one reporter suggested, is amazing.
“Well, it’s not amazing,” Solich said, “if you’ve got the right quarterback.”
