Sun Belt football: Ohio keeps Vandals winless on season

A.J. Ouillette ran for two touchdowns and Derrius Vick threw for another Saturday to help the Ohio Bobcats (2-2) ease to a 36-24 victory over the winless Idaho Vandals (0-3) in Athens, Ohio.

Quentin Poling had three interceptions, one of which led to a fourth-quarter score by JD Sprague that put Ohio up 29-17.

Ouillette scored on 1- and 3-yard runs and gained 130 yards on 27 carries. Vick was 4-of-6 passing for 68 yards, including a 12-yard TD to Sebastian Smith.

With Idaho driving, but trailing 23-17 in the fourth quarter, Poling picked off a pass by Matt Linehan and returned it 32 yards to the Vandals’ 5-yard line. Sprague scored three plays later on a 1-yard run.

Linehan responded with a 52-yard TD pass to Joshua McCain to make it a five-point game, but Ouillette put the game out of reach with a 3-yard TD run for Ohio. Linehan was 33 of 55 for 353 yards and two TDs, both to McCain.

Boise State 34, Louisiana-Lafayette 9: Jay Ajayi carried the ball 27 times for 150 yards and three TDs and Devan Demas had two rushes for 78 yards and a score to power the Broncos (3-1) to a win over the Ragin’ Cajuns (1-3) in Boise.

Arkansas State 21, Utah State 14 (OT): Johnston White knotted the score deep in the game, Artez Brown blocked a short field goal to force overtime, and the Red Wolves (2-2) needed only two plays in the extra period to cap an improbable comeback victory over the Aggies (2-2) in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Utah State’s Darell Garretson threw for 268 yards and two TDs.

New Mexico 38, New Mexico State 35: Lamar Jordan’s 5-yard TD pass to Reece White with 27 seconds left lifted the visiting Lobos (1-2) over the Aggies (2-2) in Las Cruces.

The short scoring pass completed a 6-play, 45-yard drive that featured a pass interference call against Lewis Hill that set up a first-and-goal from the 8.

Illinois 42, Texas State 35: Josh Ferguson rushed for 190 yards and two TDs and the Illini (3-1) rallied in the second half to edge the Bobcats (1-2) in Champaign, Illinois.

All three Illinois wins this season have come after trailing in the second half.

The game was delayed for almost two hours by lightning that started in the second quarter with Texas State leading 21-6.

Georgia Southern 28, South Alabama 6: Matt Breida rushed for 187 yards and two TDs to lead the Eagles (2-2, 1-0) over the Jaguars (1-2, 0-1) in Mobile, Alabama, in the first Sun Belt Conference game for both teams.

Breida scored on a 64-yard touchdown run to close the first quarter, and scored again in the third quarter as Georgia Southern took a 21-6 lead.

Southern Miss 21, Appalachian State 20: Dasman McCullum blocked an extra-point attempt with 6 seconds remaining and the Golden Eagles (2-2) outlasted the Mountaineers (1-2) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

ASU’s Taylor Lamb threw a 2-yard TD pass to Simms McElfresh in the back corner of the end zone to get the Mountaineers within a point. But Zach Matics, who had a field goal blocked and missed two others, had his extra-point attempt swatted away by McCullum.