With a 21-9 lead over Northern Illinois, the Ohio Bobcats needed more timely defensive stops like the ones they had managed earlier in the game. Instead, two Huskie touchdowns turned into a 24-21 victory for Northern Illinois.
Ohio (3-3, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) committed three turnovers, including a late fumble by quarterback Nathan Rourke that paved the way for the winning Northern Illinois score. Ohio’s first two drives of the second half ended in an A.J. Ouellette fumble and a Rourke interception. The Huskies (4-3, 4-0 MAC) did not give up the ball once.
The Bobcats retook a 14-9 lead in the third quarter on a 56-yard strike from Rourke to receiver Isiah Cox.