Ohio (5-2, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) suffered its first MAC loss of the season on Saturday when taking a trip to Dekalb, Illinois, for a matchup with Northern Illinois (3-4, 2-1 MAC). The Bobcats struggled to get anything going on offense in the 23-13 loss on the road.
Despite losing by two scores, Ohio still had a chance late in the fourth quarter. Entering the quarter down 4 points, Ohio Quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw for three interceptions on three consecutive drives in the fourth and the offense was unable to lead a comeback.
“I thought that there were glimpses, but we’re over halfway now,” Ohio Head Coach Tim Albin said. “Some of the mistakes that we are making, we weren’t making earlier in the year.”
The Bobcats led the game at the half by a score of 13-7. It was a 16-0 second half in favor of NIU that led to Ohio’s defeat. Ohio’s struggles to pass the ball in the second half made a late comeback improbable for the team.
It wasn't just the passing game that struggled for Ohio; a run game led by Sieh Bangura and O’Shaan Allison was hardly able to get into a rhythm against a dominant Northern Illinois defense.
“We’ve got to find a way to get some consistency in the running game,” Albin said. “That’s going to help Kurtis, that’s going to help the play-action passes. That’s probably my biggest concern right now with also turnovers.”
Another leading factor working against the Bobcats was penalties. Ohio committed seven penalties for 70 yards, while Northern Illinois only committed a single penalty that didn’t come until well into the second half.
“We had three turnovers and seven or eight penalties; they had one penalty,” Albin said. “That hasn’t been our MO over the last year … that’s why I’m disappointed. Our guys pride themselves on not making those kinds of mistakes.”
Ohio’s defense has been the highlight of the team so far this season. Against Northern Illinois, the defense gave up more points than it has to any opponent all season. The offense didn’t help the defense's ability to get stops, as the Huskies would often start drives with excellent field position as a result of turnovers.
Northern Illinois’s two touchdowns of the game each came on big plays from the offense. The first of which came from a 53-yard touchdown run from running back Gavin Williams. Northern Illinois was able to score yet another decisive touchdown on third and short from its own 42. Quarterback Rocky Lombardi was able to find Grayson Barnes for another 50+ yard touchdown that put Northern Illinois out in front early on in the half.
“We got to be disciplined with our eyes,” Albin said. “Your man is your man. Those were two huge plays. I’d like to say they were the difference in the game but it wasn’t. The lack of offensive production in the second half and turnovers, that’s the thing.”
Ohio will look to recoup from its first conference loss next weekend at home against Western Michigan.
“The effort with the guys is there,” Albin said. "When we have a failure–and tonight was–there’s opportunity to get better and that’s how we are going to approach it.”
