AKRON – It could very well be the last game he will play in for Ohio, and quarterback Nathan Rourke made sure it was one he won’t soon forget.
The senior’s night ended early for the second consecutive week after the Bobcats defeated Akron 52-3 in the regular season finale and became bowl eligible for the 11th consecutive season.
He ended his night midway through the fourth quarter and deservedly so. Rourke posted a 300-plus yard passing game for the second consecutive week and only had eight incompletions to go with his four touchdowns.
The first came on a speed option fake toward the short side of the field and turned into a 53-yard toss to redshirt senior D.L. Knock on the Bobcats’ first play on their second drive.
Rourke’s connections to redshirt freshman Shane Hooks led to touchdowns of 39 and 11 yards. On the 39-yard score, Hooks had a sizable gap between him and the cornerback in coverage on a simple fade route.
Rourke did what he needed to do for Ohio to be in the position it wanted to be in at the close of the season.
The Bobcats had to win their final two games to reach bowl eligibility and avoid having a losing season for the first time in over 10 years. While they had plenty of preseason aspirations and a season not go their way, there’s still hope that they can make a bowl game for the 11th time under coach Frank Solich.
For now, Ohio will celebrate the win, but it will wait to see its fate if the season is over or if it gets one more shot to play.
