ATHENS, Ohio – Playing all over the field, Phil Bates rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns, and Boo Jackson threw three touchdown passes as Ohio rolled to a 49-25 victory against Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon at Peden Stadium.

The Bobcats (3-3, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) also had a strong defensive effort as they built a 28-3 halftime lead and led by as much as 35-3 in the third quarter.

Bates carried 11 times while playing quarterback, running back and wide receiver. He also was 1 of 2 passing with a 47-yard completion to Donte Foster.

Jackson completed 9 of 14 passes for 76 yards and also rushed for 53 yards on 10 attempts.

“I think the system seems to play out well for us,” Ohio coach Frank Solich said. “They both add something to what we’re about. We still have a great group of receivers and I think we only threw the ball about 16 times and most of those were set up by the play action fake. So our guys played very well.”

Bowling Green (1-5, 0-2 MAC) went ahead 3-0 on a 22-yard field goal by Bryan Wright, but it was the only points the Falcons score in two possessions in the red zone.

Riley Dunlop’s fumble on Ohio’s first play of scrimmage was returned by Dwayne Woods to the 3-yard line. The Bobcats made a goal line stand, though, and then held the Falcons to a field goal after Bowling Green had a short field gain after an Ohio punt.

“I don’t know if those first two drives set the tone or if we would have won the game but it’s pretty sad when you have the ball on the 2-yard line and you can’t get two or three yards,” Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson said. “There are not too many teams that are going to win doing that.”

The Falcons had only 83 yards of offense in the first half, while the Bobcats got moving with Jackson and Bates frequently on the field at the same time.

Jackson gave the Bobcats the lead for good with a five-yard touchdown pass to Terrence McCrae with 5:54 left on the first-quarter clock, and after Jay Edwards recovered a fumble by Bowling Green quarterback Matt Schilz to give the Bobcats a short field.

Vince Davidson capitalized with a two-yard touchdown run, and after a three-and-out, Bates’ only completion set up the Bobcats’ third touchdown, a seven-yard pass from Jackson to Jordan Thompson, caught on a ricochet, for a 21-3 advantage early in the second quarter.

Just before halftime, Jackson and Thompson hooked up again on a six-yard strike for a 28-3 Ohio advantage.

Donovan Fletcher made his fourth interception of the season on Bowling Green’s opening possession of the second half and returned it 55 yards for a 35-3 lead.

Bowling Green got its first touchdown on a 19-play drive, almost 11-minute long drive that culminated with a one-yard Willie Geter touchdown run.

Ohio struck back right away, though, with a 61-yard Bates touchdown run that made the score 42-11 at the end of three quarters.

Schilz threw a pair of touchdown passes to Kamar Jordan in the fourth quarter, including a 59-yarder with 4:30 remaining in the game.

In between, Travis Carrie returned a punt 46 yards to the Bowling Green 12-yard line, and Bates score on the next play.

“We’re just trying to keep people off balance,” Bates said. “That’s the key to our offense, try and keep the defense off balance. I think we did a pretty good job of that. Boo is an excellent player. Out there, he is a leader and at the same time, I’m glad, at this time in our careers, that we can both go out and do it together and lead our team to victory.”

Schilz finished with 277 yards passing on a 23-of-37 performance, and Geter rushed 22 times for 98 yards. Jordan had eight catches for 129 yards.

Ohio’s 49 points were the most it scored in almost two years and snapped Bowling Green’s streak of four straight wins at Peden Stadium.

“It was rough for us starting off, but once you find your identity, you try to stick by that, and that’s what we’re trying to do right now,” Bates said. “We found our identity and we’re trying to stick by that.”

The Bobcats return to action at 2 p.m. next Saturday against Akron at Peden Stadium on homecoming weekend.