ATHENS, Ohio — Sieh Bangura rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns and Duncan Brune rushed for 126 yards and two scores to lead a dominant rushing effort for Ohio in a 48-21 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday.
Bangura scored two touchdowns by the 12:13 mark of the second quarter, with a Parker Navarro rushing touchdown sandwiched between them. Navarro was 17-of-23 passing for 205 yards and an interception.
Brune got on the board with a 66-yard scamper early in the third quarter. His second came less than seven minutes later.
Ohio (4-3, 2-1 Mid-American) racked up 333 rushing yards and outgained Northern Illinois 538-293, with the offense going 5-for-5 in the red zone.
Josh Holst was 21 of 29 with 161 yards and a couple of passing touchdowns for Northern Illinois (1-6, 0-3 MAC), but five of the Huskies’ first seven drives ended in punts.
Their penultimate drive ended in a 91-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Jalen Thomeson with 2:52 remaining.