There are certain players within sports that seem to take their game to new heights on specific occasions. There is “game six” Klay Thompson in the NBA and even “playoff” Patrick Mahomes in the NFL, two athletes who have earned monikers for stepping up their game in the biggest moments.
After Ohio’s 48-21 win over Northern Illinois on Homecoming, it might be time to add “homecoming” Sieh Bangura to that list of iconic nicknames. The senior running back had his best game of the season, going for 147 yards and three touchdowns on his senior day.
Those three touchdowns brought his career Homecoming total as a Bobcat up to 10 touchdowns, a staggering number for the Bowie, Maryland, native.
“This is when just the most family comes, so I feel like that plays a part in my energy when I go out on the field,” Bangura said about his performance on Homecoming. “This is the first time (my) family has come out all season. So just them coming out and then just me going in my head, ‘like I got family in the stands, man, I gotta do something big,”
He was impactful from the jump, cashing in for his first touchdown of the day on his first carry of the game, a two yard score set up by a huge punt return from junior receiver Chase Hendricks.
Saturday’s game was not the first time Bangura had gone for three touchdowns on Ohio’s Homecoming. He went for a whopping four touchdowns as a redshirt freshman against Akron in 2022.
Bangura rushed for three scores and added another through the air, a true statement game for a player that went on to win MAC Freshman of the Year in 2022.
Not only was Saturday Homecoming, it was also senior day for Bangura and the 19 other seniors that walked before the game. Bangura had his family join him on the field for senior day, further adding to the familial boost to his game.
“I think we need to get his mom at all games,” Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. “Homecoming, typically, his mom usually comes to those games, and obviously he loves her a lot. She's a great woman, and he typically plays better when she's around. So I may have to work on how I can get here to all of our games.”
Bangura was able to put in work all game, but it was in the second half where he really was able to dominate the Huskies’ defense, going for 68 rushing yards on his first drive in the third quarter alone.
While Bangura had a banner day, coming a yard away from tying his career high, the entirety of the Ohio running game had a field day against Northern Illinois. When the final whistle blew, the Bobcats racked up 333 total rushing yards, a dominant performance for a rushing attack that has struggled at times this season.
Bangura had 147 of those yards while sophomore running back Duncan Brune had 126 while chipping in two touchdowns as well. Graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro was his usual self on the ground as well, evading tacklers all day while earning 43 yards and a score on the ground as well. Finally, senior running back Doe Boyland added the last 19 yards to close out the game on offense for Ohio.
“I think when both those guys are playing well, it can wear down a defense,” Smith said. “That's when you see some of those runs start popping in the second half.”
That was a huge game for an offense that seemed to lose its way in a bad 20-14 loss two weeks ago against Ball State, where the Bobcats’ attack was shut out in the second half. The energy seemed to be down in that loss against Ball State, and Bangura was held to just 67 total rushing yards on the day.
That obviously wasn’t the case against Northern Illinois, as the confidence and energy looked to be restored in the defending MAC champs.
“When we're running the ball well, I don't think anyone can stop us in this league,” Navarro said. “I think that just puts this confidence behind us every drive, that we're gonna go score no matter what, and we're gonna get out of tough situations because we'll run the ball well.”
Bangura and the rest of the Bobcats are traveling to face Eastern Michigan next Saturday, another big game for standings in a wide open conference.
