ATHENS – Ohio bounced back big after two weeks off following its first Mid-American Conference loss and dominated Northern Illinois 48-21 in its homecoming game Saturday at Peden Stadium.

The Bobcats (4-3, 2-1 MAC) could not be stopped on offense, racking up 538 yards of offense, including 333 on the ground, with both Sieh Bangura (147 yards) and Duncan Brune (126 yards) going over 100 for the game.

Chase Hendericks also had 108 yards receiving on 10 catches, and Parker Navarro accounted for nearly 250 yards by going 17-of-23 passing for 250 yards and adding 43 more yards on the ground.

"I thought our guys played with great energy," Ohio coach Brian Smith said. "I think they really enjoy playing together, and you can see that on the field with how they played."

Ohio scored the game’s first 21 points and never led by less than three touchdowns after a Brune 66-yard touchdown to begin the second half.

In addition to a strong receiving game, Hendricks had a 52-yard punt return after Northern Illinois went three-and-out to start the game, leading to a Bangura 2-yard touchdown run.

The Bobcats’ next possession was longer. Ohio went 91 yards on 11 plays, scoring on a Navarro 9-yard run on third-and-3. Bangura added a 5-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter to make it 21-0.

Northern Illinois (1-6, 0-3 MAC) finally got a spark when Dev’ion Reynolds returned the ensuing kickoff 67 yards to Ohio’s 20-yard line, setting up Josh Holst’s 7-yard scoring pass to Devon Akers. A two-point conversion pass made it a 13-point game.

The Huskies’ defense finally got a stop, sacking Navarro on third-and-12 from their 29-yard line, leading to a short punt. But they did not take advantage on offense, going three-and-out again.

For the second possession in a row, Ohio moved into Northern Illinois territory but came away with no points. James Finley IV intercepted Navarro in the end zone on a third down play from the 40 with 11 seconds left in the half.

Brune then made sure the Bobcats finished their next drive in the end zone by breaking away for a long touchdown to make it a 27-8 game. Bangura began the next drive with a 49-yard run, and Brune eventually finished it off with a 4-yard touchdown run, bringing the score to 34-8.

After two and a half quarters of struggle, Northern Illinois’ offense came to life the rest of the game, beginning with Holst throwing a 50-yard touchdown pass to DeAree Rogers.

However, Northern Illinois’ defense had no answer, giving up yet another touchdown, a Bangura 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter, on the next possession.

Chavon Wright scored on a 1-yard run for the Huskies with 12:08 remaining. Ohio recovered an onside kick attempt, and although it did not score on that possession, it ran off more time before turning it over on downs at Northern Illinois’ 24.

The Huskies threatened to make it a two-score game, reaching the red zone, but on fourth-and-7, Holst was knocked down short of the line to gain by Charlie Christopher. He also lost the ball, and Jalen Thomeson picked it up and returned it 91 yards for a touchdown for the final margin.

Holst went 21-of-29 passing for 161 yards, completing seven passes for 107 yards to Rogers. Telly Johnson Jr. rushed 11 times for 64 yards.

The Bobcats travel to Eastern Michigan for their final Saturday game of the season at noon Saturday on CBS Sports Network.