Poulos throws three first-half touchdowns as Ohio beats Central Michigan 31-14

Nick Poulos threw three touchdown passes before halftime, and Ohio’s defense kept Central Michigan scoreless until the closing seconds of the third quarter in a 31-14 homecoming victory Saturday. The Bobcats improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference while extending their home winning streak to 16 games.

Ohio’s first half left Central Michigan facing a deficit that its second-half touchdown runs could not erase. Duncan Brune opened the scoring with a 23-yard run, and Poulos followed with touchdown passes to Riley Neer, Preston Bowman and Dom Dorwart. Will Hryszko’s 24-yard field goal added to the margin as the Bobcats went into halftime ahead 31-0.

The defense supplied opportunities as well as stops. Central Michigan reached Ohio territory on its opening possession, but the Bobcats stopped a fourth-and-one run. Ohio then moved downfield and finished an eight-play drive with Poulos’ 3-yard pass to Neer, producing a 14-0 lead with 39 seconds left in the first quarter.

The MAC Digital Network published highlights from Saturday’s game.

Michael Molnar made another important first-half play when he stripped the ball on a sack, according to Ohio’s official game report. The turnover gave the offense a short field, and Poulos found Bowman for a 1-yard touchdown with 5:24 left in the second quarter. Poulos then hit Dorwart for a 44-yard score with six seconds remaining in the half, adding a touchdown just before the break.

Poulos completed 11 of 18 passes for 158 yards without an interception. Brune led Ohio’s rushing attack with 91 yards on 16 carries, while Victor Rosa added 70 yards on nine attempts. Poulos contributed 52 rushing yards, helping the Bobcats gain 245 yards on the ground and 403 overall.

Ohio’s ability to extend possessions also separated the teams. The Bobcats converted nine of 14 third downs and collected 23 first downs. Central Michigan had 14 first downs and failed on both of its fourth-down attempts. Molnar’s second sack stopped one of those attempts in the third quarter, ending another Chippewas possession in Ohio territory.

Central Michigan finally scored on Jayden Clerveaux’s 15-yard run with 25 seconds remaining in the third. Nick Woodford added a 20-yard touchdown run with 1:39 left in the fourth. Angel Flores completed 14 of 20 passes for 112 yards, and Jadyn Glasser added 42 passing yards. Braylen Naves caught four passes for 56 yards as the Chippewas finished with 275 total yards.

Molnar finished with two sacks and a forced fumble. Jermaine Minnis led Ohio with 12 tackles, the university reported. The Bobcats visit Sacramento State next Saturday; Central Michigan, now 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the MAC, hosts Western Michigan.