×

Bobcats trying to get back on track vs. UMass

ATHENS — Back-to-back losses was not part of the plan, but Ohio University is still the favorite in the Mid-American Conference.

The Bobcats (1-2) have one more game before they get into the heart of the conference schedule when Ohio hosts UMass (2-3) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Peden Stadium.

OU coach Frank Solich is excited to see how the rest of the season plays out for the Bobcats following 34-30 heartbreaking loss to Cincinnati.

“We didn’t play very well in the first ball game. We played better in the second and showed signs of being a good football team,” he said. “In (the Cincinnati) game, the team improved again. So if we continue to improve, we’ll have a chance at being the type of football team that we hope to be.”

The Bobcats led 24-7 at the half and appeared to be in control at UC’s Nippert Stadium. However, the Bearcats scored 27 second-half points to earn the comeback victory.

“I expect we will continue to see improvement. I think we saw a lot of improvement in a lot of areas this past game,” Solich said. “We have to get better on both sides of the ball on third down. You look at it statistically, and you don’t win football games by being where we are. That improvement has got to come and in a hurry.”

The Bobcats are 3-0 against the Minutemen, including a crazy 58-50 victory in Amherst, Mass., last season. Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke threw for 18 yards and two touchdowns, while adding an additional 118 rushing yards and two TDs.

After a slow start to the season, Rourke is starting to look more like the QB that led the Bobcats to a 9-4 record. Against Cincinnati, he completed 12-of-27 passes for 178 yards and one touchdown, as well as one interception. He also rushed for 96 yards on nine carries, and one touchdown.

Ohio also hopes to get another solid running performance from senior A.J. Ouellette, who recorded 125 yards on 12 carries and scored against UMass last season. He had 71 yards and a score against Cincinnati.

Senior wide receiver Papi White recorded his third-straight game with at least 100 yards receiving, hauling in six catches for a team-high 131 yards and a touchdown in the loss to Virginia.

UMass is averaging 34 points a game and is coming off of a 49-31 victory over Charlotte. Solich hopes his offense can keep pace with the Minutemen.

“Well, you better score a lot of points. They’re scoring points on everybody they play, so they’ve got an offense that’s designed well, and they’ve got the players to fit it,” he said. “A lot of the things that we’ve been talking about are things that will occur against those guys. You want to try to get them in long yardage situations as much as possible, and then you’ve to play good long yardage defense.”

Junior quarterback Michael Curtis made his first career start for UMass and he delivered for the Minutemen. He threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores, while completing 12-of-19 for 189 yards passing.

Senior Andrew Ford, a transfer from Virginia Tech, started the first four games for UMass and completed 49-of-78 passes for 486 yards and two touchdowns. Ross Comis, a senior from Weirton, W.Va., also saw action in the first four games and completed 19-of-34 passes for 310 yards and three scores. However, Ford and Comis sat out last week’s game after both were injured in the FIU game.

“They’ve got a system and their quarterbacks are fit to that system. They’re all mobile guys who are all capable of running, scrambling, making plays on the run,” Solich said. “You can design a run for them, if you want. It really makes no difference which quarterback is in there in terms of system of offense that we utilize.”

Senior wide receiver Andy Isabella, the top offensive threat for the Minutemen, ranks seventh in the nation with 450 receiving yards and has four touchdown catches. He is tied for the team lead with five total touchdowns with senior running back Marquis Young. Young is eighth in the nation with 158.4 all-purpose yards per game.

“You know it’s going to be difficult to shut down people, you just have to make sure you win the turnover ratio and that you’re able to establish drives and not giving them the easy points,” Solich said. “You have to make sure they earn their points. If you do that then you have a chance to win games.”

On defense, UMass linebacker Bryton Barr leads the nation with 71 total tackles for an average of 14.2 per game. Opponents have been able to move the ball with ease against the Minutemen, averaging 447.8 yards per game – including 229.2 on the ground.

Solich is stressing to his team that they play mistake-free football Saturday.

“You need to play smart football and not put ourselves in a position where, penalty wise, we’re hurting our team in terms of field position. You look at smart football and breakdowns and execution – all of that turns into smart football,” Solich said. “All of those things have to come into play when you play a team that has the potential to put a lot of points on the board. If they’re going to throw a lot, we need to get more sacks and put pressure on the quarterback. It’s difficult for any quarterback to be at his best when someone is in his face all the time and he’s getting hit after throws, sacks or if he’s running for his life all the time. A lot of those things will come into play as to how well both teams do offensively.”

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.15/week.

Subscribe Today