BUFFALO — Sieh Bangura had two short rushing touchdowns and the Ohio defense turned in another solid performance, as the Bobcats rallied in the second half to beat the Buffalo Bulls 20-10 on Tuesday night.
Bangura finished the night with 17 carries for 78 yards to help lead a Bobcat offense that was struggled for most of the evening — especially in the first half.
Ohio's offense was held to 236 yards, with just 41 of those yards coming in the first half.
Buffalo took a 3-0 lead into halftime on a 41-yard field goal by Alex McNulty on a drive that started at their own 6.
McNulty had another chance to add another three points at the end of the first half, but Ohio head coach Tim Albin successfully used a timeout to ice Buffalo's kicker on his first attempt — that he made — but his second attempt sailed wide left as time expired.
The Bobcat offense came alive to start the second half, as they used a mix of run and pass plays to march 71 yards to the Buffalo 3. But on third down a sack forced Ohio (7-3, 4-2 Mid-American Conference) to settle for a 29-yard field goal from Gianni Spetic to tie the game up.
Bangura would score on Ohio's next possession with a two-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal to give the Bobcats a 10-3 lead with 2:46 remaining in the third quarter.
Buffalo would strike back on their ensuing possession, getting a 52-yard gain on their first play from scrimmage from Cole Snyder to Darrell Harding Jr. to put the Bulls at the Ohio 23.
Then on third-and-goal, running back CJ Ogbonna would score on a two-yard run to cap an eight-play, 75-yard drive that tied it 10-all with 13:30 to play.
Ohio would get two big runs of 29 and 11-yards from O'Shaan Allison and Kurtis Rourke would hit tight end Tyler Walton for a 16-yard gain to set up another field goal from Spetic to give the Bobcats a 13-10 lead with 8:52 remaining in regulation.
The Bobcats would force the game's first and only turnover on Buffalo's next possession, as Keye Thompson force Snyder to fumble the ball and the Bobcats recovered the ball at the Bulls 33.
Ohio would convert the turnover into points, as Bangura would score again from two-yards out with 1:55 remaining to seal the win.
Rourke finished the game with 121 yards on 14-of-21 passing for Ohio.
Synder completed 14 of 21 passes for 171 yards for Buffalo (3-7, 3-3). Ogbonna and Ron Cook Jr. combined for 95 yards rushing on 28 carries.
Ohio will be back at home for Senior night on Nov. 15 against the Central Michigan Chippewas.
Ohio 0 0 10 10 — 20
Buffalo 0 3 0 7 — 10
Second Quarter
BUF–Alex McNulty 41 field goal, 6:42.
Third Quarter
OHIO–Gianni Spetic 29 field goal, 8:48.
OHIO–Sieh Bangura 2 run (Gianni Spetic kick), 2:46.
Fourth Quarter
BUF–CJ Ogbonna 2 run (Alex McNulty kick), 13:30.
OHIO–Gianni Spetic 25 field goal, 8:52.
OHIO–Sieh Bangura 1 run (Gianni Spetic kick), 1:55.
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OHIO BUF
First downs 15 14
Total Net Yards 236 295
Rushes-yards 30-115 41-114
Passing 121 181
Punt Returns 1-5 0-0
Kickoff Returns 1-17 3-13
Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int 14-21-0 16-23-0
Sacked-Yards Lost 2-10 2-17
Punts 3-45.7 2-37.0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-Yards 4-17 3-25
Time of Possession 27:50 22:10
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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING–Ohio, Bangura 17-78, Allison 4-42, Rourke 7-1, Team 2-minus 6. Buffalo, Cook 16-48, Ogbonna 12-47, Barksdale 6-18, Snyder 6-1, Washington 1-0.
PASSING–Ohio, Rourke 14-21-0-121. Buffalo, Snyder 14-21-0-181, Ogbonna 2-2-0-6.
RECEIVING–Ohio, Walton 6-62, Cross 5-44, Kacmarek 2-11, Bangura 1-4. Buffalo, Currie 4-66, Harding Jr. 1-52, Cook 4-25, McMillan 2-15, Johnson 3-13, Harrity 2-10.
MISSED FIELD GOALS–Buffalo, McNulty 55 (WL).
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