Ohio’s offense rebounded with 438 total yards and four touchdowns against Marshall one week after it was slowed down by Pitt. None of that mattered, though, after the Bobcats allowed 511 total yards to the Thundering Herd and failed to stop Marshall’s offense on two key drives in the fourth quarter, which led to a 33-31 loss.
Here’s a look at some notable performances from the game and what they mean moving forward.
Stock Up
Nathan Rourke
The senior quarterback could probably be placed on this list every week. He certainly deserves it this week after he broke the program’s all-time career touchdowns record when he hit Ryan Luerhrman for his 83rd career touchdown he was responsible for.
That record can only go up for Rourke, and he extended it with another touchdown — an impressive 72-yard run — in the fourth quarter. The Bobcats didn’t win, but Rourke, who finished with 215 passing yards and 118 rushing yards, showed again that he’s capable of carrying Ohio.
Nick Sink
The redshirt junior was inserted into the starting center role after Steven Hayes was announced out due to an injury shortly before kickoff. There was no noticeable difference, however, in the cohesiveness of the offensive line, which didn’t allow a sack and provided Rourke with plenty of time in the pocket.
Coach Frank Solich didn’t specify whether Hayes will return this week against Louisiana-Lafayette. If he doesn’t, Ohio’s offensive line should still be in good shape.
Stock Down
Tackling
Missed tackles aren’t one of the stats listed in postgame box scores for Ohio. It would have been a high number against Marshall.
The Bobcats missed several tackles against the Herd in the first half and had to overcome a 27-17 halftime deficit. Ohio did take the lead with 11 minutes in the fourth quarter, but the tackling problems flared up again, and the defense failed to stop Marshall on the Herd’s last two drives of the game.
The secondary
The secondary also struggled with coverage and communication in addition to tackling woes. The biggest error came on Marshall’s game-winning play, when quarterback Isaiah Green hit tight end Xavier Gaines for a 43-yard touchdown. Nobody was around Gaines when he caught the football just inside Ohio’s 15-yard line, and he had to race around just two defenders to reach the end zone minutes after Rourke gave Ohio the lead.
Ohio’s secondary is one of its most experienced groups on the team. It could have just had a tough game against the Herd, but it needs to prove that Saturday against Louisiana, a team that’s had completions from four different quarterbacks thus far and has averaged 253.6 passing yards per game.
Turnovers
The Bobcats have forced just one turnover this season. That came in the season-opener against Rhode Island, an FCS school.
Ohio led the Mid-American Conference with 32 turnovers last season, and it expected to lead that statistic again. It’s still early, but the defense needs to create turnovers soon. That will keep Rourke on the field and could go a long way toward fixing some of the defensive problems that have plagued the Bobcats through three games.
