Ohio takes on Northern Illinois during senior night at Peden Stadium.
FINAL
NIU 21
OHIO 14
Top Performers
Northern Illinois
Passing: Hare — 15/23, 178 yds., 2 TD
Rushing: Hare — 12 att., 67 yds.
Receiving: Brown — 5 rec., 70 yds.
OHIO
Passing: Vick — 19/28, 141 yds., TD, INT
Rushing: Ouellette — 25 att., 127 yds., TD
Receiving: Reid — 2 rec., 45 yds.
Final Analysis
That one was honestly much better than many thought coming into the game, but the Bobcats really beat themselves in this one. The interception thrown by Vick right after Ohio got the ball back may have been the swing play, but while putting together a solid drive with under two minutes, remaining, Landon Smith's fumble was a killer.
It's going to be tough for these guys to make a bowl even if they do win next week at Miami, but that game will be a must-win for many reasons: bowl eligibility & to finish with a non-losing streak.
4th Quarter
1:57: Vick hit Landon Smith on a 10-yard pass, but then Smith fumbled the ball, recovered by NIU.
6:00: Hare hits Chad Beebe over the middle for an 18-yard touchdown pass. PAT good by Hagan. NIU 21, OHIO 14
8:50: Vick hit Ouellette for a 9-yard touchdown pass. PAT good by Yazdani. NIU 14, OHIO 14
13:32: Ohio turned the ball over on downs, after Ouellette's rush on 4th down was short by inches.
3rd Quarter
4:07: Yazdani missed another 46-yard field goal short, hit down by the wind.
9:25: Drew Hare hit Akeem Daniels for a 32-yard touchdown pass, with a lot of blocking and running room down the sideline. PAT good by Hagan. NIU 14, OHIO 7
First Half Analysis
In a game that most gave Ohio no chance to win, the Bobcats came out real strong in the first half, mostly on the defensive side of the ball. They held Northern Illinois to just 7 points and forced the Huskies to punt on four of their five possessions. The offense needs some more consistency, but they don't seem to be rattled too hard by the offensive front of NIU.
First Half Leaders
Passing: Vick (OHIO) — 12/15, 78 yds.
Rushing: Ouellette (OHIO) — 11 att., 74 yds., TD
Receiving: Brown (NIU) — 4 rec., 53 yds.
2nd Quarter
10:13: A.J. Ouellette rushed for 12 yards and a touchdown, including a couple great cuts around the 10-yard line. PAT good by Yazdani. NIU 7, OHIO 7
14:56: Cameron Stingily rushed up the left side for a two-yard touchdown. PAT good by Christia Hagan. NIU 7, OHIO 0
1st Quarter
6:15: Josiah Yazdani missed a 46-yard field goal short left.
Pre-game
Ohio (5-5, 3-3 Mid-American) came into Tuesday's matchup with Northern Illinois needing a win to keep its hopes alive for a sixth consecutive bowl appearance. Technically, one win in their last two games would make the Bobcats bowl eligible, but in real terms, it seems as if they need two more wins to see post-season action.
Northern Illinois (8-2, 5-1 MAC) came into the Bobcats home finale coming off four consecutive wins. Prior to Tuesday, the Huskies were tied atop the MAC West division with Toledo.
