Coach Frank Solich walked into the post game press conference with a stat sheet in his hand that he wasn’t quite prepared to look at.
He pulled back the chair that sat in front of the green table and knew the questions that were coming his way. Only he didn’t have too many answers for them.
Ohio’s second-half absence caused a downward spiral that led to its deflating 39-36 loss to Mid-American Conference foe Northern Illinois on Saturday in front of a homecoming crowd of over 18,000 people.
In the first half, the Bobcats’ defense showed signs that last week’s game against Buffalo was the start of a positive trend. They did well in masking the issues — missed tackles, poor run defense and an inability to generate turnovers — that plagued them throughout the majority of their season.
When Ohio returned to the field after halftime, though, things changed.
The Huskies generated 372 of their 510 offensive yards in the second half because of Ohio’s common errors.
“It is frustrating,“ Solich said. “But it’s where we’re at. We’ve got to dig ourselves out of the hole that we’re in.”
That hole is mighty deep, and after its performance Saturday, the climb to the top is only becoming steeper.
After defensive end Amos Ogun-Semore was called for a roughing the passer penalty on a 1st-and-10 with NIU’s backs on its own goal line, the free 15 yards set up what became a clear sign that Ohio’s defensive woes weren’t gone.
Backup quarterback Marcus Childers took the snap and ran 70 yards down the middle of the Bobcats’ defense. Two plays later, running back Tre Harbison scored his first of three touchdowns in the second half, and the Huskies’ offense exploded.
“Just not being in the right spot,“ safety Javon Hagan said in regard to Childers’ run. “We’ve got to execute.”
It wasn’t just Ohio’s (2-4, 1-1 MAC) lack of execution, however, that allowed NIU to win.
It made the halftime adjustments against what had been a stout defense in the first half, and it showed. The Huskies scored on each of their next four drives with a methodical mix of run plays on first and second down that allowed the passing game to open, too.
Quarterback Ross Bowers had a career day for the Huskies with his 23-for-39 and 338 yard performance. His lone touchdown came on a 30-yard pass-and-catch with Tyrice Richie that gave NIU (2-4, 1-1 MAC) its first lead since it held a 10-7 score at the end of the first quarter.
Its run game generated production behind Harbison’s 113 yards on 25 carries. The consistent plug-and-chug of the Huskies’ offense took foot in the game, and the Bobcats couldn’t stop it.
“We gave them a lot of life and it’s tough when a team gets momentum,“ Solich said. “That last quarter in terms of drives by them, we just didn’t do a very good job of controlling that.”
Ohio’s defense isn’t all to blame, though. It built a 21-10 half-time lead on various gimmick plays – quarterback Nathan Rourke caught a touchdown pass thrown by wide receiver D.L. Knock, and offensive tackle Austen Pleasants had a two yard touchdown run – but it was shut out in the third quarter.
That lack of offensive success in the third quarter hurt Ohio. The Huskies scored 12 unanswered points and was efficient at the right times. The Bobcats fourth quarter performance mirrored NIU’s second half efficiency. They scored two touchdowns and a successful two-point conversion attempt to tie the game at 36, and while it was an admirable effort, there’s a better chance than not it would be having the homecoming celebration it wanted had it played with the same efficiency it had in the first half.
“What’s more deflating in my opinion is that we weren’t able to put them away,“ Rourke said. “We couldn’t move the ball in the third quarter. It’s tough to put your defense in that kind of a position, we take responsbility for that.”
That’s been the unfortunate identity for the Bobcats. Against Louisiana-Lafayette, Solich said the team hasn’t been able to put together a full game. Their outing against Buffalo was a step in the right direction, and it appeared that things had improved.
But it’s back to the drawing board for Ohio. It’s back to the late nights in meeting rooms and early mornings watching film to see what more it can do to put itself in the position to succeed.
While it’s still too early for the Bobcats to panic – they still have six more conference games – it’s time to evaluate their problems on a deeper level.
“There’s a lot of things to look at,“ Solich said. “We’re going to look at everything.”
When he eventually glanced at the stat sheet, the frustrations showed, and as he let out a subtle sigh, he knew for sure what questions were coming his way.
