ATHENS – Ohio amassed over 600 yards of offense and needed most of them to top Gardner-Webb 52-35 in the final nonconference game of the season Saturday afternoon at Peden Stadium.

The FCS Runnin’ Bulldogs (2-2) jumped out to a 14-3 lead, but their defense could not slow down the Bobcats, who scored touchdowns on seven of their final nine possessions after a slow start.

Sieh Bangura and Duncan Brune both rushed for three touchdowns as Ohio (2-2) racked up 329 yards on the ground, led by Bangura’s 123 yards on 18 carries. Brune added 88 yards on 16 carries, and Parker Navarro had 72 yards on nine carries, in addition to going 18-of-27 passing for 290 yards with a touchdown pass. Chase Hendricks had a career-high 144 yards on eight catches.

"Something that I think is really positive is when you can learn lessons while still winning the game," Ohio coach Brian Smith said. "I'm expecting a lot of growth from this team after this game."

Quasean Holmes rushed for an 8-yard touchdown to open the scoring, and after the Bobcats settled for a Brad Peacock 31-yard field goal following Eamonn Dennis’ 58-yard kick return, the Runnin’ Bulldogs took a two-score lead on Carson Gresock’s 48-yard touchdown run that made it 14-3.

But Ohio’s offense came to life in the second quarter with 28 points and did not slow down much after that. A 32-yard pass from Navarro to Brune set up the first points for the Bobcats on a Brune 2-yard run, making it 14-9 early in the second quarter. The extra point failed.

A fumble on third down led to a Gardner-Webb punt, and Ohio took the lead for the first time with a touchdown drive that culminated with a Bangura 8-yard run. Mason Williams caught a two-point conversion pass to make it 17-14.

Gardner-Webb answered back quickly with Nate Hampton throwing a 68-yard touchdown pass to Holmes to make it 21-17, but the rest of the half belonged to Ohio.

After two other catches on the drive, Hendricks caught a 43-yard touchdown pass that put the Bobcats on top for good, 21-17, with 5:01 left in the half. Navarro had runs of 17 and 25 yards on the next drive, and that led to a Bangura 1-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds left to make it 31-21.

"I'm just going out there playing ball, making plays when they come my way, and trying to do what's best for the team," Hendricks said. "If it comes with however many yards I have a game, then that's cool. But I'm not really focused on the stats. I'm just focused on getting the job done and getting the win."

The Runnin’ Bulldogs managed a scoring chance at the end of the half, but Charles Viorel’s 53-yard field goal attempt came up just a little short.

Like at the start of the game, Ohio’s offense was slowed to begin the second half, turning the ball over on downs and then punting on their next possession, but Gardner-Webb could not take advantage, and the Bobcats could not be stopped after that.

Brune’s 1-yard touchdown run with 1:54 left in the third quarter made it 38-21, and from there, the team’s traded touchdowns.

Hampton threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Chris Lofton on a fourth-and-3 play in the first minute of the fourth quarter, and Ohio answered quickly with Bangura running five straight times for 75 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown run to put the score at 45-28.

Holmes scored the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ final touchdown on a 5-yard run to cut his team’s deficit to 10 points again with 7:48 left. The Bobcats put the game away with a Burne 20-yard touchdown run for the final points with four minutes remaining.

Hampton went 19-of-28 passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns and an early interception by Michael Mack II. Holmes rushed 11 times for 47 yards and caught two passes for 66 yards, while Anthony Lowe made eight receptions for 72 yards.

"Defensively as a whole, we didn't have a great game today," said Ohio linebacker Michael Molnar, who had 11 tackles. "So, I mean, it's great to have individual steps, but that's not what we're focused on."

The Bobcats’ defense did not have any sacks and just two tackles for loss on the day. The Runnin’ Bulldogs finished with 480 yards of offense.

Freshman Dom Dorwart made a big impact with his first two career receptions totaling 51 yards for Ohio.

The Bobcats begin Mid-American Conference play by hosting Bowling Green at noon Saturday on CBS Sports Network.