Sports
Ohio Football looks for seventh-straight bowl win against UNLV in 2025 Frisco Bowl
By: Andrew Bowlby
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – There is just one team in the country right now with a longer active bowl game winning streak than Ohio Football. That would be Minnesota who has won eight-straight bowl appearances dating back to the 2016 season.
But for Ohio Football (8-4, 6-2 MAC), a six-game winning streak in bowls shows the consistency the program has had over the last decade. The Bobcats last defeat came in the 2016 Dollar General Bowl against Troy.
Below is a full preview of Tuesday night’s matchup with the UNLV (10-3, 6-2 Mountain West Conference).
Series/Bowl Game History
With bowl game history the two programs are on complete opposite trajectory. Ohio is 8-8 in 16 all-time bowl games, but they have won six consecutive. The Bobcats have also played in two bowl games in Texas and are 1-1 in those games.
The first appearance in Texas was the 1962 Sun Bowl played against West Texas State. Ohio held an 11-7 lead going into the fourth quarter but ended up falling 15-14. The other was the 2018 Frisco Bowl. The Bobcats pulled off a shocking upset beating San Diego State 27-0.
UNLV is 4-2 in six bowl game appearances. The Rebels are 2-0 against MAC opponents in bowl games defeating Toledo in the 1984 California Bowl and Central Michigan in the 1994 Las Vegas Bowl. UNLV is 0-1 in their only game in Texas, losing to North Texas in the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl 36-14.
Offensive Comparison
One of the most intriguing parts of this matchup is the battle between explosive offenses. UNLV was arguably the best offense in the Mountain West this season leading the conference in scoring, touchdowns and total yards.
The Rebels offense put up 30 or more points in 11 of 13 games this season. And they have also scored at least 20 points in 34-straight regular season games. UNLV is potent and has numerous weapons that are tough to stop.
It all starts with junior quarterback Anthony Colandrea. The Rebels QB ranks 13th in the NCAA for passing yards and led the MWC in both total yards per game (299.69) and total touchdowns (32).
He is joined in the backfield by Jai’Den Thomas. He will enter the Frisco Bowl just 15 rush yards away from the first 1,000-yard campaign in his career. Thomas also leads the country in yards per carry at 7.19 yards/carry. Thomas was also part of the First Team All-MWC.
Colandrea’s legs are also a factor in the run game with him carrying the ball for 621 yards and nine scores this year.
UNLV has 10 other players with 100 or more receiving yards and eight different players have caught touchdowns for the Rebels.
The Ohio offense, while not quite as explosive as UNLV’s, has still been strong this season. The Bobcats also got some good momentum back in the last two games against UMass and Buffalo after a tough few weeks.
All of the Bobcats offensive success starts in the back field and the ability to run the ball. Both QB Parker Navarro and RB Sieh Bangura have been stellar this season running the ball and that has led to a number of wins.
Bangura’s 1,243 rushing yards this season mark his second 1,000-yard season with Ohio and it also helped him eclipse the 3,000-yard plateau (5th player in program history).
The three combined for 30 rushing touchdowns this season, the most by any MAC team.
Ohio does have the ability to pass, but there have been some concerns this season. Navarro has been inconsistent throwing the ball, and in the three games against Miami, WMU and UMass, he struggled mightily.
When opponents have been able to bottle up Chase Hendricks, the passing game has been limited. When Hendricks has been able to get open, the Bobcats have been tough to stop.
One of the most consistent parts of the offense has been the line. The Bobcats OL has had just one starting combination for all 12 games this year. That same combo is expected to start against UNLV and the seniors on the line will be looking to add one final statement to dominant careers.
Defensive Comparison
This game will likely be won by the defense who makes more plays and gets more stops. Neither team has been great on defense, but Ohio will certainly have the edge heading into the matchup.
Jalen Thomeson leads the defense in tackles with 80 total and 6.0 for a loss. His game-sealing interception against Miami punctuated a major breakout year for the junior safety.
Ohio’s second leading tackler is also a member of the secondary. With 75 tackles this year, Adonis Williams was really a critical leader for John Hauser’s defense. The secondary is completed with the Tank Pearson and DJ Walker.
Pearson recorded 12 PBU’s this season, tied for the third most in the nation.
Up front, Ohio’s defense is led by Jay Crable and Anas Luqman who combined for 10.0 sacks this season. They were also critical in holding opponents to under 150 rush yards per game.
Maybe the most underrated player on the Ohio defense has been freshman linebacker Charlie Christopher. He had a slow start to the season not recording a tackle until the fourth game of the year. But Christopher has quickly turned into a critical piece on the defense and has turned into a solid player.
UNLV’s defense has been the team’s weak point this season. Just as the offense led the MWC in a number of categories, the defense did as well. The Rebels give up 28.9 points per game and 424.5 yards per game ranking them ninth and 11th in the MWC.
Marsel McDuffie leads the defense in tackles with 103 on the season. He is one of 17 players on UNLV who have recorded at least 0.5 sacks.
The Rebels’ secondary is patrolled by MWC Defensive Player of the Year Aamaris Brown and Laterrance Welch who each have four interceptions this season. Their eight combined INTs are part of the team’s 13 on the season. UNLV trails only Notre Dame and Fresno State for interceptions since the start of the 2022 season.]
Common Opponents
Both teams faced Miami (OH) this season. UNLV got a 41-38 win in Oxford back in September. The Rebels trailed 14-0, 24-10 and 38-24 in that game but found a way to fight back and score the game-winning field goal with 0:15 to play.
UNLV put up 515 yards of offense in that game, the Rebels fourth highest total this season.
Ohio’s meeting with Miami came in early November and was much more defensive. After a 3-3 tie at halftime, a few big plays in the second half led to a Bobcats win 24-20.
Game Information
The Frisco Bowl will be moving locations this season. The first seven editions of the game were played at Toyota Stadium, however, this year it is being moved to The Ford Center at The Star. The facility doubles as the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility and will likely be the most unique place Ohio has ever played.
It’s a 12,000-seat venue that also hosted the Xbox Bowl played on Dec. 18.
The game will kick off at 8 p.m. local time, 9 p.m. EST and will air on ESPN.