MAC Football: Ohio Bobcats deliver emphatic beatdown to Buffalo

When it comes to November and MAC football, you do not want to be going up against Frank Solich and Ohio football as Buffalo found out Wednesday night.

The Bobcats kept Buffalo from claiming the MAC East division title Wednesday night, posting a convincing 52-17 victory at home as part of MACtion on ESPN.

Ohio, which fell behind 7-0, scored 31 unanswered to build a commanding lead and never let the Bulls back in it. Nathan Rourke was accurate and the ground game dominant in this one. Rourke finished 17 of 26 passing for 209 yards and three touchdowns, while as a team, the Bobcats piled up over 420 yards on the ground.

A.J. Ouellette, a 210-pound senior, recorded the third 100-yard game of the season, with all three coming over the past four weeks. He finished with 196 yards and two scores.Maleek Irons added 92 yards and a score, with Rourke racking up 77 more and a touchdown.

Under Solich, a former Nebraska head coach, the Bobcats have won 10 games in the month of November since the 2014 season. They have not had a losing season since 2008, winning eight-plus games five times in the past seven years.

For Buffalo, star quarterback Tyreke Jackson struggled, completing just 9 of 21 for 116 yards and two interceptions. He did run for 70 yards, but much of that came on a 55-yard burst. Anthony Johnson finished with six catches for 95 yards.

There was a key shift in the second quarter, as Jackson fumbled while going in for a potential touchdown that would have made it a 24-14 game in favor of Ohio. The Bobcats recovered and marched 96 yards over 13 plays, chewing up over six minutes of the clock and scoring for the fourth time in the half.

Jackson was just 6 of 13 passing for 83 yards with two interceptions and the fumble in the opening 30 minutes, running for another 70 yards.

Rourke had 114 yards passing in the first half with another 68 yards on the ground, while Ouellette had 109 yards. Ohio ran for 211 and threw for another 114 in the half.

The Bobcats rebounded from a 30-28 loss at Miami (Ohio) last week that snapped a three-game win streak to improve to 7-4 on the year. They’ll host Akron next week to conclude the regular season.

Buffalo, meanwhile, had its five-game win streak snapped and fell for the first time in league play. They are at Bowling Green next Friday night. The Bulls can still clinch the division title as they are a full game ahead of both Miami (Ohio) and Ohio in the standings.