Sports
Frank Solich’s Weekly Press Conference – September 12
By: Grant Burkhardt
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Ohio football is 2-0 and has won five straight home games, but Marshall has had the Bobcats' number in recent years. With revenge (possibly) on the mind of Ohio this Saturday, Frank Solich spoke to the media about this weekend's game. Watch the entire press conference here.
Sights from the Sideline
After a few full days to digest the numbers and look back at the tape, here are some of our observations from Ohio’s win over Gardner-Webb.
1. The Defensive Line Looks Strong
The numbers from Saturday’s game are probably a tad inflated because of the Runnin’ Bulldogs love for the ground game. Gardner-Webb lined up and ran the ball at the Ohio defense 42 times and only totaled 105 yards, an average of 2.5 yards per carry. With a stifling run defense, it’s no surprise that the defensive line was up in the stat column. Neal Huynh led the team in total tackles with nine. Defensive tackles DO NOT lead the team in tackles, that’s usually a linebacker’s job. Huynh wasn’t the only standout from the front four, Carl Jones and Tremayne Scott had six tackles, tying them for second on the Ohio defense. Gardner-Webb isn’t top tier competition, so you would expect the Bobcats to dominate, but the way the defensive line imposed its will was impressive. It doesn’t matter what team you’re playing, big guys are big, and the Bobcats defensive line pushed back the Gardner-Webb offensive line the entire game.
2. Tyler Tettleton Wants to Be a Better Quarterback
If you ever talk to an athlete, they will always say they want to be better, but to actually improve takes hard, committed work. Tyler Tettleton looks like he is working to become better. With the Bobcats up 27-3 late in the third quarter, Ohio took Tettleton out of the game to get back-up Kyle Snyder some game reps. With the game in hand, it would’ve been easy for Tettleton to check out of the game; he could have done his rounds of high fives, chatted it up with teammates, or any of the other possible distractions on the sideline. A good sign for Bobcat fans, Tettleton did not do any of those. Instead, he watched intently from the sideline; digesting the plays, mentally breaking down the defense – the tools required to succeed at quarterback. From what we saw Saturday night, Tyler is working to be a student of the game, not just a quarterback, and it’s the little things like watching the game closely when removed that will help him do so.
3. Eric Benjamin is a Warrior
Linebacker Eric Benjamin walks with a limp right now and for good reason. He doesn’t have an MCL, PCL ACL, or meniscus. Basically everything that holds a knee together is missing from Benjamin’s right knee. So, for him to be seemingly be involved with every tackle is remarkable. Without surgery, the pain will not retreat, which means for the next 10 games he will have to deal with the pain. If you really want to appreciate what he is playing through just watch him during pre-game stretching or anytime before a snap. He walks gingerly; heavily favoring that right knee, yet somehow can explode and cut when needed