KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Walking off the field with his mouthpiece still in, Kylan Nelson had Ohio’s gold turnover belt draped over his shoulder.
The redshirt senior safety intercepted the Broncos quarterback Kaleb Eleby late in the third quarter. He knew that wasn’t even the Bobcats’ highlight Thursday night, because Ohio imposed its will on Western Michigan for four quarters.
They forced turnover after turnover and executed read option after read option. Ohio routed the Broncos 59-14. Most importantly, the Bobcats declared to the rest of the Mid-American Conference that this team, Ohio, is on a roll.
“I think a lot of guys came in and wanted to win big,” Nelson said. “Wanted to show the (2016) MAC Championship Game was a fluke. We’re back, we’re better and we’re stronger.”
Nelson’s interception was one of six Ohio forced turnovers. In a game where rain came down for all four quarters, not even a punt was safe for the Broncos.
With 2:49 left in the first quarter, special teams ace DL Knock came flying off the edge and blocked Nick Mihalic’s punt. The ball hung in the air for a while, but Alvin Floyd scooped it when it hit the ground and walked into the end zone.
In the second quarter, Western Michigan muffed back-to-back kickoffs, resulting in 10 points for Ohio.
All night, whenever the Broncos had an opportunity to come back, the Bobcats were there.
A hard hit to free up a ball for a fumble? No problem.
Making sure Eleby remembered he was a true freshman? Let Jarren Hampton take care of that. He intercepted Eleby in the second quarter.
Six turnovers seems foreign to Ohio’s defense three weeks ago. The Bobcats allowed 15 unanswered points at Northern Illinois. It was their first loss of MAC play, and another loss would prove costly.
But Ohio willed its way back in impressive fashion. In the last three games, it's allowed only 42 points — 14 points per game. No longer is the offense the only exciting part of the team to talk about, the defense is too.
A team known for run stopping defense couldn’t prevent teams from running down its throat earlier this season. After beating the Broncos on Thursday, the Bobcats now rank No. 2 in the MAC in rushing defense, giving up just 4.3 yards per carry.
“This is what you hope for,” coach Frank Solich said. “They’re a very proud football team. I think they feel confident about themselves and their teammates. We’ve got some talent. You put those things together, and you usually have a chance in the game.”
Three wins look good on paper. But taking a harder look, two of the three wins came against teams with records below .500. Still, Thursday night was supposed to be the first true test.
The true test was pushed to the wayside Thursday. After the game, Solich praised his team a bit, but spent the same amount of talking about what lies ahead, which will make or break the Bobcats’ season. Three wins would punch their ticket back to Ford Field for the MAC Championship Game.
Before that, they’ll head to Oxford, to take on arch-rival Miami. A win against the RedHawks would virtually set up a MAC East Division title game at Peden Stadium on Nov. 13 against Buffalo.
“We’re on a roll, we’re in control of it,” Knock said. “It’s all going to work out.”
