Western Michigan Broncos vs Ohio Bobcats football recap: Broncos run all over the Bobcats 49-14

The game between the Western Michigan Broncos and Ohio Bobcats promised great offense and great defense on Saturday, and fans were treated to both - by Western Michigan.

WMU dominated the second half of Saturday's contest in all facets of the game, blowing out one of the MAC's best defensive teams by a score of 49-14. But it wasn't always domination on offense for the Broncos. The first half was largely dominated by defensive play from both football teams, with the end of the first quarter yielding a score of 0-0. In fact, neither team crossed the 50 yard line until well into the second quarter. It was late in that second quarter that both offenses began to find their bearings, scoring 21 total points in the final 3:33 of the half.

The scoring opened with a wild touchdown catch by Daniel Braverman following Ian Wells' ejection for targeting on WMU quarterback Zach Terrell. Braverman added a second touchdown to his six catch, 56 yard day, to push the lead to 14-0 for the Broncos, a lead that they never surrendered. Derrius Vick led the Bobcats on a great drive ending in a touchdown pass to Sebastian Smith to make it 14-7 with just 17 seconds left in the first half, giving the Bobcats the hot hand headed into the third quarter with the game shaping up to be a shootout, but WMU was ultimately the only team holding up that end of the bargain.

A completely different Bronco offense rolled out for the second half and launched a rushing attack that could not be stopped, especially in the absence of Ohio's Quentin Poling, who left the game early on with injury. Without the reigning MAC East defensive player of the year, the trio of Bronco running backs of Jarvion Franklin, Jamauri Bogan, and LeVante Bellamy were able to get into the second level almost untouched at times. The Broncos scored on their first three offensive drives of the third quarter. The first, a 67 yard scamper from Jamauri Bogan, the second a Zach Terrell keeper on third and goal, and the third a Jarvion Franklin red zone run to balloon the lead to 35-7 for WMU.

The Broncos weren't done scoring in the fourth quarter either, adding two more touchdowns on a Terrell pass to Corey Davis and a long touchdown run from Bellamy to put the game completely out of reach and to its final score of 49-14. The Ohio defense pegged as one of the best, if not the best, in the MAC had given up seven touchdowns in 33 minutes of play to the Broncos after surrendering zero such scores the previous eight quarters combined. The WMU ground game amassed a total of 430 yards despite having fewer than 25 entering the third quarter. The Broncos scored touchdowns on every single drive in the second half except for the final drive which ended in a Tom Flacco kneel down. The Broncos had 281 yards of rushing offense on just 18 carries between Bogan and Bellamy, each posting runs of greater than 60 yards.

It was certainly a story of two halves in Athens, and a second half that the Bobcats would like to soon forget, as they were held to just 14 total points and just 100 yards on the ground by a defense that gave up 39 points just a week ago to Central Michigan. Daz'mond Patterson and Papi White were largely held in check by the Broncos, totaling just 29 yards and a touchdown between them, though White left the field in the second half limping after a short kick return. Derrius Vick was perhaps the lone bright spot for Ohio, going 18 of 34 for 167 yards and a touchdown and seemed to be the only offensive player able to get it going against WMU. The Bobcats will look to turn it around on their road trip to Buffalo next week to take on the Bulls, while WMU returns home to take on the Miami RedHawks in Kalamazoo.