Sports
Ohio Football: Rourke, Hagan help Frank Solich get Win No. 100 in Comeback Fashion
By: Connor Mills
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Got Frank? Got 100 wins.
The Ohio Bobcats (3-2) earned their first conference win against the Kent State Golden Flashes (1-5) and Bobcat head coach Frank Solich reached the century mark. In Ohio’s 40th win against the Golden Flashes they came from behind and scored 20 points in the second half to edge out a 27-26 victory.
Solich was hired by Ohio on December 16, 2004 and acquired his first win against the Pittsburgh Panthers on September 9, 2005. Solich is the third coach in history to have 100 wins and only trails Bill Hess (108) and Don Peden (121) for the most in school history.
This game was not the offensive outburst the Bobcats showcased against the UMass Minutemen, however they were able to get the job done on the road.
Three straight touchdown drives to begin the second half capped off the comeback with Nathan Rourke in the middle of everything. Rourke went 18 for 20 with 284 passing yards to go along with 49 yards on the ground. Down by six points with 1:28 left, Rourke spun off a defender and strolled his way into the end zone to put the Cats on top for good.
Ohio’s offense tallied up 414 total yards, but turned the ball over four times – that caused the game to be closer than what was expected. Two fumbles led to two field goals for the Golden Flashes as they held onto a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
Emerging from the receiving core was senior Andrew Meyer. Rourke found Meyer four times for 90 yards with the longest being a 59-yard touchdown reception. Papi White had five receptions for 89 yards.
With Maleek Irons on the sideline due to an injury sustained in practice, A.J. Ouellette was the beneficiary of an extend workload — Ouellette had 18 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
After Rourke scored the go-ahead touchdown, the Golden Flashes had one last chance to win the game. The Bobcat defense though came up with a play: Javon Hagan sealed it with a pick and the offense trotted out to line up in victory formation.
The Bobcats are on the road again next Saturday as Solich looks for win 101 against Northern Illinois. Game time set for 3:30 p.m.