Sports
Ohio looks to bounce back against Akron after rough loss
By: Thomas Henry
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB)– The Ohio Football team (2-2) will look to get back into the win column Saturday afternoon against Akron (1-3) on homecoming as they open MAC play.
The Bobcats are coming off a rough 41-6 loss this past weekend to Kentucky where the Bobcats were outplayed on both sides of the ball. Ohio was without starting quarterback Parker Navarro for their matchup against the Wildcats who sat on the sideline with an upper body injury in favor of redshirt Junior quarterback Nick Poulos, who was 8-19 with 110 passing yards and one interception. Navarro is expected to return to action this weekend against the Zips.
“We anticipate him being full go,” Ohio head coach Tim Albin said Monday. “But I will say he’s been hampered, it was something that occurred early in the season, and it’s still lingering. But it’s not serious where he’s gonna have surgery, so, I anticipate Parker to be out there today and going full speed.”
The Bobcats have relied heavily on their ground game this season, with running back Anthony Tyus III rushing for 391 yards and four touchdowns at an impressive 6.9 yards per carry. Tyus was shut down by Kentucky’s stalwart defense, making him primed for a bounce back performance. Tyus had eight carries against Kentucky for only 24 yards.
On defense, the Bobcats enter the matchup allowing a solid 26.3 points per game, which went up after their loss to Kentucky. One of the keys to the game will be Ohio’s rush defense stopping what has been an inconsistent run game for Akron so far this season. Albin talked about how the Bobcats need to improve on the margins as well.
On the opposing side, the Zips are coming off a rough week of their own after losing 50-7 to South Carolina. Akron is averaging just over 15 points per game on offense. Their poor performance being reflected in their bottom 10 ranking as a unit.
The Zips defense is tied for 130th in points allowed and have given up nearly 43 per game on average. Despite their struggles, they have faced one of the toughest schedules in the state thus far, having also opened the season against Ohio State where they lost, 52-7. Zips quarterback Ben Finley has registered 659 passing yards this season with six touchdowns and is coming off a 110 passing yard performance with one touchdown and one interception last weekend.
Ohio is a heavy favorite against Akron and has an opportunity to come away with its first conference win of the season. If they stick to their strong run game and their defense shuts down Akron’s ground attack, it could be a smooth day for the Bobcats on homecoming weekend.