Ohio Football (8-3, 5-2) wraps up their 2017 season with a road matchup against the Buffalo Bulls (5-6, 3-4). The Bobcats face a harsh reality as they close out their regular season.

The Akron Zips are Mid-American Conference East Divison Champions, crushing Ohio’s chances at a second-straight MAC Championship game appearance. The Zips took care of the Kent State Golden Flashes 24-14 on Tuesday night, sealing their first division title since 2005, the same year Frank Solich took over as the Bobcat’s head coach.

All Ohio can do now is “move on,” that’s been the theme at Peden Stadium ever since Ohio dropped a 37-34 heartbreaker to the Zips on Nov. 14. Akron’s first victory against the Bobcats in a decade.

“We’re looking forward to playing a very good Buffalo team; a place where we haven’t played very well,” head coach Frank Solich said. “That needs to change. We’re all about moving on and looking forward to this game.”

A ten-win season is the Bobcat’s focus now and Buffalo isn’t going to hand it to them without a fight.

The Bulls are led by quarterback Tyree Jackson (124-0f-127, 1802 yards, 10 TD, 3 INT) and his favorite target Anthony Johnson (70 catches, 1201 yards, 12 TD). Johnson is arguably the best wide receiver in the MAC, leading the conference in yards, and receiving touchdowns, while sitting second in receptions.

“He’s talented. He’s what you look for in an athlete.” Solich said regarding Johnson, “We’re going to look at ways to not let him have a special day, and that’s not easy to do. It’ll be difficult, and if you slow him down then you accomplish something.”

Ohio has struggled mightily against star receivers over the past three games.

Kwadarrius Smith, Diontae Johnson, and James Gardner have combined to catch 21 passes for 435 yards and 6 touchdowns versus Ohio. Meanwhile, Johnson is fresh off 7 catches, for 153 yards and 4 scores against Ball State.

The best receivers in the conference have feasted on Ohio all year and they’ll need to buck that trend to capture a ten-win season.

One thing to keep an eye on is Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke’s pursuit of single-season records, the sophomore needs just one rushing score to break the school-record of 19 and is looking for five total touchdowns in the final two games to eclipse Tyler Tettleton’s mark of 38.

Unfortunately for Rourke, he is playing the last game of the regular season without his number one wide receiver. Senior Brendan Cope injured his ankle against Akron and won’t be available for this game.

Kickoff from UB Stadium is set for 1 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN3.

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After a first half to forget Sunday afternoon, Ohio put together a comeback to remember.

Despite an 18-point deficit, just three scorers in double figures, two players fouling out, and an injured big man, the Bobcats (2-2, 0-0) persevered through 60 full minutes of game time to down Indiana State (1-3, 0-0) 96-94 in a four overtime thriller.

Ohio’s win over the Sycamores marked its first of the short Gildan Charleston Classic tournament. Indiana State will head back to Terre Haute without a victory in Chucktown.

However, the Sycamores looked like they would run away with it early on, appearing as the more energized team. After two big losses, the Sycamores came out with fresh legs. Meanwhile, Ohio played two competitive games days before and started sluggishly, shooting just 32 percent overall and 18 percent from three-point land.

Indiana State’s Jordan Barnes sparked his club by nailing his first three deep balls. He took advantage of multiple high-ball screens and hit three-pointers from four to five feet beyond the line. Devin Thomas logged three of the team’s five first half blocks, and the Sycamores scored nine points off fast breaks compared to Ohio’s zero.

But the tide turned for the ‘Cats in the next half. Over the final 10 minutes of regulation, they put together a 24-8 run, salvaging their chance at a victory after a sloppy first half. Jordan Dartis bounced back from a 1-11 start to his shooting afternoon by scoring 18 of his 21 points after the opening half.

However, it was Mike Laster’s performance in the second half that propelled the Bobcats’ comeback. Laster had a game-high of 25 points, scoring 18 in the half alone and went 4-4 from beyond the arc.

Ohio closed out double overtime with a 13-4 run, capped off by Gavin Block’s three-ball with 13 seconds left in the period. Despite being held scoreless in regulation, Block hit some of the biggest shots of the game for the Bobcats. Along with his last-second three-pointer, he calmly pump-faked and stepped to his left before he tickled the twine. Those were his first points of the night and they came at a critical time midway through overtime.

Not to mention he put the Bobcats on top for good with a contested bucket with under a minute to go in the fourth overtime. He also hit the impending free throw for his ninth point of the game.

Freshman guard Teyvion Kirk showed a lot of growth through just his fourth game in a Green and White uniform. He has no problem getting to the rack and only had three turnovers all game Sunday. Through the overtime periods, he scored 11 points and made some critical defensive stops. Kirk also went 6-7 from the free throw line and nabbed four of his six rebounds throughout the four overtimes.

One concern for Ohio was the departure of Kevin Mickle in the first half. The graduate transfer made a jump stop in the paint and came up tender on his left knee. Mickle spent the rest of his game on the bench with his knee iced.

Saul Phillips and co. will return to Athens tired but in a good mood ahead of their matchup with Mount St. Mary’s on Friday. The clash with the Mountaineers kicks off a three-game homestand for Ohio.

Tipoff against The Mount is scheduled for 7 pm on Friday, November 24^th in the Convo.

 

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From the drop of the puck, you could tell that the matchup between the 8th-ranked Ohio Bobcats and 3rd-ranked Lindenwood Lions would be another classic CSCHL bout. It was not until (literally) the last second until the game was decided in thrilling fashion.

These two teams, who are familiar with one another, both looked to set the tone early on. Throughout the first period, there were several big hits delivered and many crisp passes, but no pucks found the back of the net.

Another factor to the scoreless draw after the first period was the performance of both goalies. Though they only faced a limited number of shots, it was clear both netminders were on their ‘A’ game through 20 minutes.

Much of the same took place in the second period for Ohio, as their offense looked a step slower than normal. The Bobcats defense also seemed to have their issues in the second period too.

In fact, Ohio’s offense was limited to just 12 shots on goal through 40 minutes.

“Our guys were giving them too much respect,” head coach Sean Hogan said “After the first period I reminded the team that we’re 6-4 or 7-3 in our last 10 against Lindenwood, we’re the team that made the national championship last year. They are fired and juiced to play Ohio. We’re the top dogs here, let’s play like we’re the top dogs.”

On several occasions the ‘Cats allowed Lindenwood to get deep into their offensive zone and had more than a few shots at untying the game.

Once again Jimmy Thomas came to the rescue for Ohio, making one spectacular save after another. If it was not for the superb play of Thomas, the ‘Cats could have very well found themselves down one or more goals.

Thomas bounced back well from last Saturday’s game at Illinois. In just over 43 minutes on the ice he allowed five goals and ended up getting pulled. Thomas was back to his usual stellar performance on Friday night and said he quickly forgot about the game last week.

“You can never dwell on the past, there is nothing you can do to change it so you can’t keep looking back on it,” Thomas said. “It is always who is next, that game was out of my mind by the time we got home off the road trip.”

Ohio found themselves in a battle despite not playing their best. The third period began with the score still at 0-0 and both teams pushing hard to get that go-ahead goal.

It looked as if Ohio and Lindenwood were headed for overtime as neither side would budge defensively.

However, as the clock ticked down, Ohio’s Tyler Harkins controlled the puck and shot one final time before the buzzer sounded.

The referee signaled goal and in unison, the fans and players exploded with emotion. Harkins game-winning goal came with 0.3 seconds to play.

“When something like this happens your emotions take over, it’s an unbelievable feeling,” Harkins said postgame.

After the game, the team and coaching staff alike was full of emotion. This was an important victory for the ‘Cats, especially against a team in their own division.

“I was emotionally charged for this [game] I wanted this [win] pretty bad,” Hogan said postgame. “[Lindenwood] is a pretty big rival of ours and we all wanted this one pretty

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Athens, OH – The Ohio women’s basketball team (2-0) said, “class dismissed” to Notre Dame College (1-2) with a 93-37 victory on Ohio’s annual Education Day Thursday morning at the Convocation Center.

For a team who was supposed to have team growing pains with the amount of turnover they lost in the offseason, the Bobcats’ looked like they were in mid-season form. It all started with getting things done on the defensive side of the floor, forcing a whopping 37 turnovers, 25 via steals.

“We aren’t as athletic as we have been in the past,” head coach Bob Bolden said. “But to see our kids take pride in what we do and understanding our principals in guarding and such, it’s nice. It’s a nice step. There’s still a lot of games to be played and a lot of different types of opponents on the schedule so we’ll see how it goes. To this points to a good start.”

That set the stage for the Bobcat offense – one that was Jekyll-and-hide a year ago, to take off and explode.

Senior Taylor Agler did what she does best – play role of facilitator en route to a career-high 10 assists that saw junior forward Kendall Jessing set new personal bests herself, with an 11-point and six-rebound effort.

Jessing, who played behind the likes of Kiki Lampkins, Yamonie Jenkins, Hannah Boesinger and Jasmine Weatherspoon, realizes this is a new era of basketball in Athens and it’s time for her and her fellow teammates to step up.

“When we were younger we had a lot of girls in front of us who were more talented,” Jessing said. “So, we took those practices and those roles to get better. Not that they’re not here, it’s our opportunity to take on a new role and we’re adjusting well to that.”

Jessing and the Bobcat offense, already up 25 at the break, didn’t pump the breaks as they poured on another 32 points in the third quarter alone – large-in-part to the team’s 39 points off turnovers, a number that had Boldon pleased.

A more encouraging sign for the Bobcats was freshmen guard Cierra Hooks and freshmen forward Gabby Burris— who both ended up pacing the Bobcats’ with 17 apiece – both game highs.

Hooks, the Dayton, Ohio native, has made the most of her opportunities in the early stages of the season.

“I try to work really hard in practice and when I get the opportunity on the floor, I just play and try not to mess up,” Hooks said. “While I’m out there, I want to do the best for me, but I also want to do the best for my teammates.”

With the game way, out of reach even in the early moments of the second half, Hooks and Burris led the way for the Bobcat bench to nearly double Notre Dame College’s 27 points as they amassed 50, over half of the team’s total points.

The Bobcats are back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 22 when they travel to Huntington, West Virginia to face Marshall with tip-off set for 5 p.m.

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Ohio (8-3, 5-2) faced four yards to go on a fourth down with just under three minutes to play Tuesday night in the season’s biggest game. Nathan Rourke’s pass fell through the hands of Papi White, and the Zips sealed Ohio’s fate when Akron’s Kato Nelson inched past the first down marker on a third down and six the very next drive.

Akron (6-5, 5-2) ran three more plays and secured a victory at InfoCision Stadium. A 37-34 win breaks Akron’s nine-game losing streak against the Green and White. It also gives Terry Bowden his first victory against Ohio.

Most unfortunate for the Bobcats, it means they are no longer in the driver’s seat for the MAC East Division title. They now depend on Kent State, a team Ohio stomped 48-3, to defeat Akron next week.

A 68-yard touchdown on its second carry, a highlight reel trick play for a touchdown, and a blocked punt inside Akron’s five-yard line meant Ohio owned the first quarter.

After that, though, it was an uncharacteristic night for Frank Solich’s squad.

A week after surrendering three turnovers, three more giveaways — two Rourke picks and a fumble on a kickoff — resulted in 21 points for the Zips. The fumble contributed to a stretch where Akron scored three touchdowns on five offensive plays.

Though he earned 165 yards on the ground — including two touchdowns that left him tied for the Ohio single-season rushing touchdown record — Rourke’s offensive attack was far from balanced. The playmaker connected with a receiver only nine times on 22 attempts for just 110 yards, his worst passing performance since Bowling Green. He finished that afternoon 7-22 for 105 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Nelson burst onto the scene in a big way. Filling in once again for the suspended Thomas Woodson, the redshirt freshman quarterback turned heads by accumulating 367 total yards and slinging four touchdowns. Facing a third down with the game on the line, Bowden put the ball in his young gun’s hands, and Nelson rumbled for just enough yardage to put Ohio away.

Though Tuesday marked Nelson’s second start, he looked like a seasoned veteran. His decisions were consistently quick enough to alleviate an Ohio pass rush that registered four sacks against Toledo a week ago. The Bobcats didn’t sack Nelson once on Tuesday night.

A third down on a promising drive saw the Zips newest signal caller escape a barreling Quinton Poling, who sacked the Rockets’ Logan Woodside three times last week, and high step his way to a first down. The Zips scored the deciding touchdown the following play.

Ohio’s secondary fell victim to some miscommunications and failed coverages in the first half. Despite holding the Zips to 54 yards through the air after the break, the damage had already been done.

On a touchdown, during the first play of the second quarter, Ohio running back Dorian Brown took a big hit to the head and never returned to the game. Ohio wide receiver Brendan Cope was undercut along the sideline after making a catch in the fourth quarter and was carted off the field.

The Bobcats are hopeful for the return of both seniors when they travel to take on the Buffalo Bulls next Friday, November 24^th.

And all of Athens will be watching next Tuesday’s contest as the Zips host Kent State in the battle for the Wagon Wheel trophy.

Ohio kicks off its final regular season game of 2017 from University of Buffalo Stadium at a time yet to be determined. Fans can find the game on ESPNU.

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It’s simple for the Ohio Bobcats (8-2, 5-1) Tuesday night when they face the Akron Zips (5-5, 4-2): win and you’re heading to Detroit.

The Bobcats have a chance to win the Mid-American Conference East Division and clinch a spot in the MAC Championship Game for the second year in a row. After handing the Toledo Rockets (8-2, 5-1) their first MAC-loss of the season in a 38-10 beat down, the Bobcats enjoyed the win and went right back to work with a calm demeanor.

“Sometimes too much hype can lead to you not playing well,” Solich said. “If your energy is going to be there, it’s going to be because of how you led yourself into the game. That’s all you can ask for from your players; that they have good energy and play smart football. If you have talent, good things are going to happen.”

That good energy and smart football were crucial in the Rockets final tally of 10 points against the Bobcats’ defense. The team finally got to the quarterback consistently: four total sacks — three of them by senior linebacker Quentin Poling — along with two forced turnovers.

The defense paved the way for the offense to do what it does best, break the opposing team’s will on the ground. The Bobcats ran Toledo out of Peden Stadium on a season-high 393 yards rushing yards, a testament to the guys up front.

“I’ve seen it happen on many occasions; an offensive line or defensive line taking over a game,” Solich said.  “That’s what you look for when you’re building your team. I think there’s a wear down approach that occurs.”

That same ground-and-pound approach will be critical Tuesday night, especially on the road against a team who’s rushing defense has been very generous, as the Zips have allowed 186 rushing yards per game. This is an Akron team that Ohio has been successful against in the past, but they need to keep that same focus the team has had since it’s last loss to Central Michigan.

“It’s a confident football team, but they’re confident because they know what they want to get done and how to get it done,” Solich said.  “I have no worries about this football team and their approach to the final games we have. They will approach it with a positive attitude and a great mind.”

The Bobcats can walk away from Akron Tuesday night with an opportunity to heal the wounds Detroit left with them from a season ago.

Kickoff at Infocision Stadium is set for 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN2.

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For the seventh time in 11 weeks, the Ohio Bobcats have a player named as a Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the week.

This time around, the Bobcats have two players receiving the honors.

Linebacker Quentin Poling and kicker Louie Zervos are the MAC East defensive and special teams’ player of the week respectively.

Poling led the Ohio defense, which held the Toledo Rockets to a season-low 10-points. Poling had 12 tackles and three sacks in his last home game as a Bobcat.

Zervos, connected on all five of his PAT’s and hit a 44-yard field goal. Zervos ranks 31st in the FBS in scoring. This is the second time this year, Zervos has been named special teams player of the week.

The Bobcats are back in action on Tuesday against Akron. The winner clinches the MAC East Division and a spot in the MAC Championship Game, next month. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN2.

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The Ohio Bobcats (8-2, 5-1) received two votes in the USA Today Amway Coaches poll, a ranking of the top teams throughout the country. This is the first time since 2012, when they started the year off 7-0, that the Bobcats have received votes in the poll.

After beating undefeated Toledo (8-2, 5-1) 38-10 last Wednesday, the polls and the rest of the country are starting to take notice of the season Ohio is having. With the victory against Toledo, the Bobcats control their own destiny as they attempt to book a trip to Detroit and the Mid-American Conference Championship game.

The Bobcats are coming off two huge victories against Miami and Toledo in back-to-back weeks as they head into another big matchup against Akron on Tuesday night.

If the Bobcats are able to prevail over Akron this week, they will clinch the MAC East Division title and return to the MAC Championship Game for the second consecutive season.

“We won’t vary things very much. You have to make sure you’re not trying to build too much hype into a game because there’s another game after that. Sometimes too much hype can lead to you not playing well,” head coach Frank Solich said during his weekly press conference.

Ohio looks to have the same performance in the run game against an Akron team that is giving up 185.8 yards per game on the ground this season. The Bobcats are coming off a season-high 393 rushing yards and four touchdowns against a Toledo team that was ranked second in the MAC in rushing yards allowed.

“When guys are pounding down on you play-after-play; defensive lineman have to take on a physical offensive lineman, and then here comes a running back that is a good size and physical. Play-after-play of that can wear you down,” Solich said.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at InfoCision Stadium and can be seen on ESPN2.

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In a contest that was in question until the final buzzer, Ohio University defeated High Point University, 64-61.

The Bobcats struggled to shoot efficiently from the field, collectively going 24-68 (35.3%), including hitting only 7 of their 34 three-point attempts. Additionally, Ohio shot just 50% from the free throw line, connecting on 9 of their 18 freebies. Ohio Head Coach Bob Boldon credited High Point’s defensive schemes as part of the reason for his team’s struggles.

“I thought High Point did a nice job. They mixed up how they guarded us. They gave us almost a match-up [zone] look. These are things that are tough to play against early in the season,” Boldon said.

While High Point’s defense cause low shooting percentages, Ohio’s defense excelled in other areas. The Bobcats forced the Panthers into a whopping 30 turnovers, 16 of which were steals, which Ohio turned into 25 points. The extra possessions aided Ohio mightily in a game in which they lost the rebounding battle 49-36 and shot sub-40 percent from the field.

The close victory is sure to boost the confidence of a young Bobcat team, which saw two freshmen receive their first minutes, and two sophomores, Amani Burke and Katie Barker, start the game. Coach Boldon emphasized such inexperience from his team and the potential growth from it.

“It’s [Burke’s] first start, there’s three other kids who made their first start tonight, there’s two kids who made their first college game ever tonight, and getting through that kind of stuff is part of the experience and I think all of them will be better tomorrow, and I think all of them will be better on Thursday when we play again,”  Boldon said.

Yet it was those same underclassmen who in large part facilitated a Bobcats win, with Burke scoring 18 points and freshman Gabby Burris adding 14 points and 7 rebounds, 4 of which were offensive. Burris especially drew the praise of her coach.

“I thought Gabby really did the things we expected Gabby to do. She’s always been a tireless worker, her work on the boards was tremendous,” Boldon said.

The team, inexperienced as they are, kept calm and collected every time High Point threatened to swing momentum their way, a trait Burke accredited to the team’s mindset and togetherness.

“We just had grit. We came together, and it’s easy to just lay down when you mess up but I think with us we know that we’re never going to be the bigger team, we’re never going to be the quickest team, but we just play hard. We play together and we keep to our principles and that’s how we won,” said Burke.

Moving forward, the Bobcats (1-0) will continue their homestand against Notre Dame (OH) on Thursday, November 16, while High Point (0-1) will continue their road trip in a game against Duke on the same day.

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1968.

The last time the Ohio Bobcats (7-2, 4-1) defeated the Toledo Rockets (8-1, 5-0) in back-to-back seasons. Ohio gets another chance to break that trend on Wednesday night when they welcome the Rockets into Peden Stadium for a matchup between the two best offensive units in the Mid-American Conference.

Ohio and Toledo rank first and second in the MAC in points per game, setting this contest up to be an offensive showcase and a potential MAC Championship Game preview.

The Bobcats are a week removed from Nathan Rourke’s scoring explosion against the Miami Redhawks. The sophomore quarterback scored three touchdowns with his legs and tacked on three more through the air to lead the Bobcats to a 45-28 victory in the Battle of the Bricks. Rourke has been a scoring machine in 2017, he currently ranks second in the nation in rushing touchdowns (16) and needs nine total touchdowns to break Tyler Tettleton’s program record (38) set in 2011.

On the other side of the field, the Rockets come into Peden Stadium on the heels of a 27-17 victory over the Northern Illinois Huskies, who tout the best scoring defense in the MAC. Rockets quarterback Logan Woodside has been the engine driving the high-powered Rockets offense. The senior has thrown for 2,656 yards and 19 touchdowns this season while tossing just two interceptions. The most eye-popping stat of his senior campaign might just be his 10.1 yards per attempt, which ranks third nationally.

“We know from just his career in the MAC that he’s a great quarterback, very poised in the pocket, can hurt you running the ball, has got the kind of arm that can make every throw that you need to make in the game of football.” Ohio head coach Frank Solich said about Woodside during his weekly press conference.

The Rockets can attack teams on the ground as well, running back Terry Swanson leads MAC running backs in yards per game (105.5) and touchdowns (11). His talents were on limited display against Ohio last season when he was the Rockets leading rusher in the 31-26 Ohio victory, touting the rock for 58 yards on ten carries.

Ohio owns the second-ranked rushing defense in the MAC and they’ll need to show why against Swanson, turning Toledo into a one-dimensional offense is critical in Ohio’s pursuit of a fourth straight victory.

All of the action can be seen on ESPN2 with kickoff at Peden Stadium scheduled for 7 p.m.

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For the third time this season, Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke has been honored with the Mid-American Conference East Division Offensive Player of the Week Award. Thanks to his NCAA season-high six combined touchdowns, a career-high 294 yards passing, and another 54 yards on the ground, Rourke, and the offense were able to get the job done, defeating rival Miami 45-28 last Tuesday.

After a nine-day break between games, Rourke and the offense picked up right where they left off, totaling 443 yards of offense, while committing 0 turnovers. With three more rushing touchdowns tacked onto his season total, Rourke is now second in the nation with 16 rushing scores.

The Bobcats are coming off a big rivalry win over the Miami Redhawks, but must now shift their focus to the Toledo Rockets, who play the Bobcats at Peden Stadium on Wednesday night. This matchup pits the top two teams in the MAC against one another and could potentially be a MAC Championship Game preview.

If the Bobcats want to knock off the Rockets, they’ll most likely need a repeat performance from Rourke and the offense to keep up with Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside and the rest of the high-powered Rockets offense.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Peden Stadium and will be televised on ESPN2.

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For the first time in two years, Ohio Men’s Basketball fans went to the Convocation Center and didn’t see Antonio Campbell, Jaaron Simmons and Kenny Kaminski on the court.

This is a new team, with five new players and a totally different style of play.

Gone are the days of Simmons holding on to the ball and creating for a teammate. Now, it is a pass first, position less style of play, a la, the way the Golden State Warriors play.

On Saturday, fans got a treat of what the 2017-2018 Ohio Bobcats will look like. Ohio defeated Capital University 80-57.

Kevin Mickle, a Florida Gulf Coast Transfer, made his debut for the Bobcats and he made quite the impact. Mickle had a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds.

“Today, I wanted to focus on defense and let the offense come naturally,” Mickle said. “I can play offense, it is a natural part of my game. I wanted to show a little [bit] of that.”

Besides Mickle, Ohio had four players in double figures. Jordan Dartis, Jason Carter and Mike Laster all had 11 points. Freshman Teyvion Kirk had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. Doug Taylor chipped in eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

“It’s going to be like that a lot,” head coach Saul Phillips said. “We had three guys with double digit shot attempts, we had five guys in double figures. This is the new normal for us. This is how we’re going to play.”

Phillips had nine players play 11 or more minutes. Part of that was to get a feel for rotations, but Phillips thinks his team is nine or 10 deep this year.

Ohio wants to move the ball this year and on Saturday, they did exactly that. The ball moved a lot more than the 13 assists would indicate.

“Besides a couple of lapses on offense, I thought that ball was moving, we were getting it inside and getting good looks all day,” Gavin Block said.

Ohio kicks off their season for real on Saturday, Nov. 11 against Alabama A&M. Tipoff is set for 2p.m.

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The Rourke train rolls on.

Sophomore quarterback Nathan Rourke led the Ohio Bobcats (7-2, 4-1) to a 45-28 statement win over the Miami Redhawks (3-6, 2-3) at Peden Stadium on Tuesday night. The Canadian ran for 54 yards and three touchdowns and threw for 294 yards and three more touchdowns.

“I mean I’d like to get over 300 yards,” Rourke said postgame. The six total touchdowns are the most by any NCAA player in a game this season.

Rourke started early by pushing Ohio to a 14-0 lead after dropping a 40-yard pass into the hands of Brendan Cope, who returned this week from injury. Miami, relying on receiver James Gardner, pulled it back even at 14-14.

But the Rourke train kept rolling, Rourke dashed in for a 7-yard TD run and dropped a TD pass into the hands of a fading Papi White from 14-yards out. Just like that Ohio led 28-14.

Rourke now has 16 rushing touchdowns, the most by any Ohio quarterback in a single season.

“He’s a little prettier getting in the end zone,” redshirt junior running back A.J. Ouelette said postgame about his quarterback’s rushing touchdown barrage. Ouellette later referred to Rourke as “Air Canada”, a loving nickname for the team’s quarterback.

The Bobcats struggled at times containing the Miami passing attack, allowing ten catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns to RedHawk junior wide receiver James Gardner. Miami quarterback Billy Bahl finished with 350 yards in the air but threw two interceptions.

The passing attack kept head coach Chuck Martin’s Redhawks in the game and with his team down just seven early in the fourth quarter Miami had hope until junior linebacker Junior McMullen lost his cool.

McMullen stomped both feet into the turf and screamed at two separate officials after being called for a pass interference penalty on Papi White. After receiving one unsportsmanlike conduct penalty McMullen continued to yell at the officials, with teammates trying to hold him back. The tantrum continued and it didn’t take long for another flag to be thrown.

McMullen was flagged for the pass interference and two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties leading to his ejection and, more importantly, moving the Bobcats from their own 41 to the Miami 24. Nathan Rourke ran in for his third rushing score seven plays later. Ohio led 42-28, and the hope had faded away.

With the win, the Bobcats are now tied with Akron atop the Mid-American Conference East Division.

Ohio has now won five straight versus Miami and head coach Frank Solich’s career record against Miami now sits at 11-2.

In the national spotlight, against Miami, Nathan Rourke played the game of a lifetime. Some would consider it amazing, but Solich doesn’t, “It’s not amazing if you got the right quarterback.”

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It is that time of the year again. College basketball is right around the corner.

After an off-season that saw several key players graduate or transfer to other schools, the Bobcats have five new players.

Despite the roster turnover, the Ohio Bobcats are still one of the favorites in the Mid-American Conference East Division.

The Buffalo Bulls received 24 of the 30 first-place votes and are the preseason pick to win the eastern division. Kent State was the six seed in last year’s tournament, but the slipper fit and Cinderella made the Big Dance. Despite losing superstar forward Jimmy Hall, the Golden Flashes were picked second in the east division.

The Bobcats received three first-place votes but were picked third. Akron, Bowling Green and Miami wrap up the east division.

In the west division, Western Michigan and Ball State received all 30 of the first place votes, with Western Michigan receiving 22 and getting the nod to win the division.

Western Michigan was picked to win the MAC tournament. Buffalo and Kent State received the second and third most votes to win the tournament. Toledo, Bowling Green, and Miami also received votes.

Junior Jordan Dartis and sophomore Jason Carter were named to the Preseason All Mid-American Conference East Division team. Kent State guard Jaylin Walker and Buffalo’s Nick Perkins and C.J. Massinburg round out the squad.

Last year, Dartis was named to the Second Team All-MAC. He averaged 12.6 points per game and shot over 44 percent from beyond the arc.

Last year, Carter was named to the All-MAC Freshman Team. Carter averaged 9.9 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game over the course of the 2016-17 season. Carter had six double-doubles last year and is a true contender for MAC Player of the Year this season.

Ohio’s first game is a scrimmage on Nov. 4, at 3:30 p.m. against Capital. The regular season starts the following Saturday against Alabama A&M. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in the Convocation Center.

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The Bobcats’ high-octane offense has been the motor driving the team all season, but defense and special teams are the ones making the headlines after Ohio’s 48-3 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday.

RS senior linebacker Chad Moore and RS sophomore kicker Louie Zervos were named Mid-American Conference East Division Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively.

Moore had an interception, his third of the season and forced a fumble for the second time this year. He also added five tackles pushing his total up to 46 on the season, which ranks third on the team.

Ohio head coach Frank Solich praised Moore for his performance, citing his ability to be a Swiss army knife is what helps him be elite on the field.

“Teams don’t just line up and do what you think or want them to do,” Solich said. “Having a guy like Chad who is versatile and the rest of our linebackers, we can get away with having him on the field in passing situations.”

Zervos continues to be money with his leg as he connected on both of his field goals from 43 and 34 yards out against Kent State and went 6/6 on PAT’s. The two field goals moved him into second place in team history with 39 for his career.

All season long, the defense has been the teams’ biggest question mark, but a performance against the Golden Flashes that saw them allow three points was a positive sign for a defensive unit that desperately needed a stellar performance.

The defense and the rest of the Bobcats have a bye this week giving them added time to prepare for a battle with the Miami RedHawks on Halloween, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. at Peden Stadium.

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After winning the first set with ease, the Ohio University women’s volleyball team fell to an even 5-5 record in conference play as they dropped three consecutive sets in a loss to Western Michigan Saturday night.

Although Ohio topped Western Michigan 25-14 in the opening set, the Broncos would bounce back and outscore the Bobcats 75-52 to win their second consecutive match and improve to a 7-3 record in MAC play.

Sophomore outside hitter Lizzie Stephens had yet another impressive performance as she was responsible for all three of the Bobcats aces, enough to lead the match. Stephens also recorded six kills, a solo block and eight digs in the loss.

Despite the stellar performance from Stephens, the Bobcats two-game winning streak was snapped at the hands of the Broncos. The victory, in large part, was a result of the play from Western Michigan freshman, Rachel Bontrager. Along with two solo blocks and seven digs, Bontrager, an outside hitter, led the match with 20 kills (2 of which were service aces) on a .255 hitting percentage.

The Bobcat defense was as stout as can be in the opening set as they held Western Michigan to just 14 points with a -.107 hitting percentage. Freshman middle blocker and reigning MAC East Offensive Player of the Week Tia Jimerson led the Ohio offense as she finished the first set with a .750 hitting percentage and six kills as the Bobcats went on to win the set by 11 points.

After being held to a -.070 hitting percentage and being outscored 25-16 in the second set, the Bobcats looked to retake the lead in the third set. With a 13-10 lead midway through the third set, the Broncos were forced to call a timeout. This proved to be the difference maker as Western Michigan went on to outscore the Bobcats 15-4 to win their second consecutive set.

Despite taking an early 5-1 lead in the fourth set, the Bobcats allowed 14 of the next 23 points to give the Broncos a 15-14 lead. Although Stephens was able to tie it up with a kill, Western Michigan would go on to outscore the Bobcats 10-4 to win the match.

The Bobcats will return from their two-game road trip on Oct. 27 to face divisional rival Akron on Friday followed by Buffalo on Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Convocation Center.

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The Ohio volleyball team (11-12, 5-4 MAC) defeated West Division foe Northern Illinois in just four sets (5-19, 4-5 MAC) on the road.

The Bobcats picked up their second win in a row and earned their first victory over the Huskies in DeKalb since 2013. Ohio hit .234 with 60 kills in the win and took advantage of 14 service errors and eight blocking errors by Northern Illinois.

Lizzie Stephens led Ohio with a match-high 20 kills and hit .333. She tallied at least 20 kills for the third time this year and has posted double-digit kills a team-high 19 times for Ohio.

Stephens also recorded four service aces to tie for the match lead, bringing her season total to 44. She also finished Friday’s match with an assisted block and five digs.

Freshman middle blocker Tia Jimerson hit .381 and provided Ohio with 12 kills. She also added an assisted block, an assist and a dig.

Ohio set the tone for the match by hitting .310 in the opening set en route to a seven-point triumph. Despite losing a close third set 23-25, the Bobcats were able to close out the match in the following set, 25-20.

Ohio looks to make it three victories in a row when it visits Western Michigan (12-7, 4-4 MAC) on Saturday night (Oct. 21) in Kalamazoo, Mich.

 

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For the second straight night, the No. 8 Ohio Bobcats and No. 11 Stony Brook Seawolves need more than 60 minutes to decide a winner.  However, unlike last night the Bobcats were unable to get the victory, losing 3-2 on Saturday night.

Ohio and Stony Brook played to a scoreless draw for nearly the first 12 minutes.  Unlike last night, the Bobcats were able to get the upper hand on the Seawolves with a goal from freshman Kyle Craddick.

Another area of improvement for Ohio throughout the early portion of the game was their ability to control the puck and get off much quality looks at the net. The Bobcats defense was also strong early on as they limited Stony Brook to just four shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes.

“Early on we were more prepared to play,” forward Tyler Harkins said. “We are really big on the first two minutes and last two minutes of a period.  I thought we did a good job of not letting [Stony Brook] score early on.”

During the first five minutes of the second period, Stony Brook began to be more aggressive on the offensive end.  Their aggressiveness was rewarded with a goal from Joey Slevin, this tied the game at 1-1.

As they did all throughout the game on Friday, Ohio answered the Stony Brook goal with one of their own to regain the lead 2-1.  That lead, however, lasted only for a few minutes as Seawolves defenseman Bradley Riccardi put a rebounded puck past Jimmy Thomas to tie the game at 2-2.

In the second period, the game began to get more physical and the referees cracked down on the play out on the ice.  After there were no penalties called in the first 20 minutes, a total of eight penalties were called in the second period.

Each team’s penalty kills unit was up to the task though as neither side registered a power-play goal in the period. Ohio’s power play unit still remains a work in progress for the team.

“We’re not making the skilled plays,” head coach Sean Hogan said.  “When we get a shot we’re not shooting, we’re holding [the puck] too long.  We’re not quite quick enough on the power play.”

With the game tied 2-2 heading into the final 20 minutes, Ohio would look to once again outplay the Seawolves in the third period.

For the entire period, both sides had their chances to take the lead but were unable to.  Ohio’s Jimmy Thomas made a couple phenomenal saves late in the period to preserve the tie.

“[Jimmy] made a great save late, he did great tonight,” Hogan said. “Can’t be upset with the way he played tonight, that’s for sure.”

After a scoreless period, the teams would once again do battle in a 3-on-3 sudden death overtime period.  Just like Friday’s overtime period, Ohio began the period with possession.

However, the ‘Cats quickly turned the puck over and committed a penalty.  Before the play was even blown dead, Stony Brook won the game off a nifty move and tap-in goal from Bradley Riccardi just 15 seconds into the overtime period.

Overall it was a solid weekend for Ohio given the tough circumstances that team faced all weekend.  While the team was shorthanded in both games, they are not using it as an excuse whatsoever.

“I am not going to blame [the loss] on fatigue,” Harkins said postgame.  “We are a well-conditioned team and I think that has helped us. Obviously, we want to go and win every game, this loss hurts but it is nothing we can’t get over.”

The ‘Cats will be on the road next weekend where they will battle the Liberty Flames.

 

 

 

 

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Going into halftime, it appeared to be a classic matchup between the Ohio Bobcats (6-2, 3-1) and the Kent State Golden Flashes (2-6, 1-3). Close and low scoring.

In the second half, the Bobcats left no doubt they were the better team.

Ohio outscored Kent State by 35 points in the second half to cruise to a 48-3 victory.

Ohio blew the game open with four touchdowns in the first seven minutes of the third quarter. Dorian Brown and A.J. Ouellette ripped off 39 and 38-yard touchdown runs respectively. Then Nathan Rourke found tight end Mason Morgan for two touchdowns. The second giving Ohio a 41-3 lead late in the third quarter.

The first half was a classic Ohio-Kent State game. Low scoring and tough to watch for fans of offense. The Bobcats had just 41 total yards in the first quarter and all of them were on the ground.

In the second quarter, Rourke found his magic.

The frame opened with Rourke finding Papi White for a 33-yard gain. That play set up a 34-yard field goal by Louis Zervos to tie the game at three. That field goal was the start of seven straight possessions that ended in points for Ohio.

“We’ve shown that we’re pretty good in the third quarter, coming out of halftime,” Rourke said. “I think we cleaned up our mistakes… We started executing at a higher level. That’s really what happened. It wasn’t really a game plan thing. We just started executing better.”

Ouellette got the carry on back-to-back plays and gained 14 yards. Two plays later, Rourke found the end zone. The six-yard run gave Ohio a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Another Zervos field goal gave Ohio a 13-3 lead at the half.

After the break, the floodgates opened.

Ouellette had 91 yards on just 10 carries and one touchdown, while Rourke went 8-of-17 passing for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 59 yards on the ground and a score.

For the second straight week, Ohio rushed for over 300 yards. The last time they accomplished that feat was November 2015.

“We know we’re a good rushing team because our [offensive line] is fantastic and execute your assignment, each player and we should keep it up,” Ouellette said.

The win makes Ohio bowl eligible for the ninth year in a row. However, the team has its eyes set on something bigger.

“There wasn’t anyone [player or coach] that talked about becoming bowl eligible with this win. I think that’s a great step for our program,” head coach Frank Solich said. “We don’t ever consider that. We don’t think about that. They’re thinking about other things, which I think is great.”

Ohio has 10 days off before they play the Miami RedHawks, on Halloween. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. at Peden Stadium

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The Ohio Bobcats (5-2, 2-1) welcome the Kent State Golden Flashes (2-5, 1-2) into Peden Stadium this Saturday to begin a stretch of three straight homes.

Ohio is a week removed from a 48-30 road victory against the Bowling Green State Falcons, where sophomore quarterback Nathan Rourke completed seven passes, but couldn’t be stopped on the ground. Rourke rushed 143 yards on eight carries, with four total touchdowns. Even if Rourke struggles early against the Golden Flashes, the Ohio defense should keep the Bobcats in the thick of things thanks to a Kent State offense that has struggled mightily this season.

In the Golden Flashes five losses, their offense has mustered a measly 4.4 points per game, lowlighted by a shut out against Marshall. Granted, they’ve faced a tough schedule having played Clemson and Louisville on the road, but their only two wins have come against Howard and Miami (OH), both at home.

Another key factor is the turnover battle. On the season, Kent State has more turnovers than touchdowns (11 turnovers, eight touchdowns). For comparison, Ohio has had 34 touchdowns to 12 turnovers.

It doesn’t get much better on the other side of the ball for the Golden Flashes either. The defense gives up an average of 30 points per game, while the Ohio attack averages 39 points per game, placing them 16th in the national.

Kick-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Peden Stadium where MAC East Offensive Player of the Week Nathan Rourke will go under center looking to keep Ohio near the top of the MAC East standings.

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2-of-10. 10 yards. Two interceptions.

Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke’s stat line was far from award-worthy late in the second quarter, as the Bobcats trailed the Bowling Green Falcons going into the break.

After turning the ball over six times in as many quarters, Rourke finally returned to his old self in the second half.  He rushed for a season-high 143 yards in the game, including a 75-yard touchdown scamper to put the Bobcats up for good and an eventual 48-30 win over the Falcons.

Rourke’s huge second half helped him secure MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. He accounted for four of the teams’ five offensive touchdowns. The Bobcat offense scored on its final four possessions of the game.

Rourke now leads the MAC with 19 total touchdowns, which ranks seventh nationally. For the third straight game, “Air Canada” has taken his skills to the ground, eclipsing 100 yards rushing every week over that stretch.

Rourke tries to make it four consecutive 100-yard games this weekend when the Bobcats welcome the Kent State Golden Flashes to Athens. Kickoff at Peden Stadium is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday.

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For much of the game, Nathan Rourke still looked shaken up from his season-high four turnovers in the Ohio Bobcats (5-2, 2-1) loss to Central Michigan last week.

Down 23-21 in a must-win game to keep pace in the Mid-American Conference East Division Race, Rourke broke through, literally, for a 75-yard rushing touchdown to put the Bobcats up for good. The offense found it’s rhythm, cruising to a 48-30 road win against the Bowling Green State Falcons (1-6, 1-2) Saturday afternoon.

While Falcon running backs Andrew Clair and Josh Cleveland gashed the Ohio defense to the tune of nearly 200 first half rushing yards, Ohio didn’t waiver. The Bobcats cauterized the wound with a bend but don’t break defense, highlighted by an interception returned 15-yards by Bradd Ellis for a touchdown.

Ellis’ scoring play on defense was huge considering that Rourke and the offense looked abysmal throughout the first half.

Before the Ohio’s last scoring drive of the opening half, Rourke was just 2-of-8 for 10 yards and two interceptions. The turnovers and offensive inefficiency by Rourke kept the Falcons in the game.

Backs pinned against the wall as they trailed late in the third quarter, Rourke finally stepped up and pulled off a play to make up for last week’s blunders.

A 75-yard read option quarterback keeper that gave the offense the spark it desperately needed. The final four Bobcat possessions ended in touchdowns.

While it wasn’t his finest outing through the air (7-of-22, 105 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT,) Rourke’s long touchdown run finally opened up the Bobcat passing attack. The following drive, he connected with Andrew Meyer on a beautiful 40-yard touchdown.

That set the stage for A.J. Ouellette to do what he does best, finish games. The backfield bruiser exploded in the second half, hammering the Falcons defense in route to 123 rushing yards.

Rourke capped the offensive explosion with a one-yard keeper of his own as the trio of Rourke, Ouellette and Darian Brown finished with 335 yards rushing, proving to be too much for the Falcons to overcome in the second half.

The defense kept it close by shutting down Falcons’ quarterback James Morgan all afternoon, allowing the Bobcats to stick with their dynamic running game. The sophomore signal caller went 16-of-41 for 182 yards as the Bobcats’ defensive front pressured him throughout the contest

The Bobcats stay in Athens all of next month as they have three home games in Peden Stadium along with a bye week.

The team welcomes Kent State to Peden Stadium next week, kickoff is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday.

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The Ohio Bobcats (4-2, 1-1) look to get back on track this weekend when they travel to Bowling Green (1-5, 1-1) to take on the Falcons in their first Mid-American Conference East Division showdown. The Bobcats trended in the right direction two weeks ago, winning a high scoring game against UMass the week prior and returned home for the first time in two weeks for their Homecoming game.

However, homecoming was spoiled by the Central Michigan Chippewa’s as they left Peden Stadium with a 26-23 victory.

“Obviously, a disappointing game for us; a disappointing loss,” head coach Frank Solich said in his weekly press conference.

One of the key factors that led to Ohio’s loss was their four turnovers. Sophomore quarterback Nathan Rourke struggled to hold onto the football against CMU, fumbling the ball three times – twice in Chippewa territory –  along with an interception.

“Not all of those turnovers were his fault. I think he had two ball technique errors. You don’t want to take his scrambling ability away because he’s made an awful lot of big plays scrambling and finding open receivers and hitting them at the last second. He’s made a lot of big plays while scrambling, not seeing a receiver open, and then running,” Solich said.

Rourke is trying to get back on track this weekend against a Bowling Green team that is coming in with some confidence after getting their first victory of the year over the Miami Redhawks. That being said, the Falcons so far this season are allowing teams to score 34 points per game, and are giving up 529 yards per game as well.

Despite giving up a lot of points and yards, this game could be a trap for the Bobcats. Bowling Green has had the Bobcats number in the past, winning four of the last five matchups and are fresh off their first victory of the season.

“They have come alive a little bit. That was a huge win for them against a very good Miami football team, so their confidence is shooting through the roof. So obviously we’re going to be taking that on,” Solich said.

If the Bobcats can keep the turnovers down and exploit Bowling Green’s weak defense, then there is no reason why Ohio can’t come out of Doyt Perry Stadium with a bounce-back victory. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN3.

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Ohio sophomore quarterback Nathan Rourke has been added to The Manning Award Watch List. The Canadian has played in all six of the Bobcats games, starting four of them.

In those six contests, Rourke has done damage in the passing and running game going 82-0f-135 for 973 yards and seven touchdowns through the air. On the ground, he’s rushed 61 times for 297 yards and ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference with nine rushing touchdowns.

The Manning Award is given to the best quarterback in college football and is named after the trio of Manning’s: Archie, Peyton, and Eli. During the preseason, 30 quarterbacks were put on the watch list for the award, but after the first half of the season, the award committee decided to increase the focus of players to recognize their performances throughout the season.

With every quarterback in the nation still eligible for the award, Rourke is now part of an elite group of quarterbacks on the watch list.

Rourke and the Bobcats return to action for a road matchup against Bowling Green on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

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Death. Taxes. Ohio losing to Central Michigan.

This year was supposed to be different. It wasn’t.

The Ohio Bobcats (4-2, 1-1) fell 26-23 to the Central Michigan Chippewas (3-3, 1-1) at Peden Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

“This game hurts because we did more things to stop ourselves than they did to stop us and that’s what really makes it frustrating,” sophomore quarterback Nathan Rourke said.

Turnovers plagued Ohio all afternoon.

Coming into today’s game, Rourke hadn’t turned the ball over all season. Against CMU he committed four, three fumbles and an interception. Not all the turnovers were Rourke’s fault. The offensive line struggled to give Rourke protection.

“There were a couple where I don’t think he could’ve helped it,” head coach Frank Solich said. “He got blindsided on one or two. Along with that, we had a lot of dropped balls, which hasn’t been customary for us.”

Ohio had the ball and was driving, trying to score before the half.

Rourke dropped back to pass from the Central Michigan 28-yard line. Complete. Touchdown to Andrew Meyer. But a flag for illegal formation prevented the score.

Two plays later, Louie Zervos attempted a 50-yard field goal. The Chippewas blocked the attempt and took it to the house.

Instead of Ohio being up 21-7, they were only up 14-13 at the half.

“The end of the first half was outrageous in terms of what transpired,” Solich said. “We lined up incorrectly on a formation, have a touchdown called back, have a field goal blocked and they score. Instead of being up 21-7, it’s 14-13. That’s huge.”

A turnover gave Central Michigan great field position. Quarterback Shane Morris found tight end Tyler Conklin on back-to-back plays. The second resulted in a touchdown, giving Central Michigan their first lead of the game, 19-13 with 10:13 to go in the third quarter.

Morris went to Conklin early and often. The star tight end had a career day, ending up with 10 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown. Morris, a Michigan transfer threw for 249 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

The score remained that way until the fourth quarter. Central Michigan lined up to punt and Tyler Gullett blocked it for a safety.

Ohio got the ball and Rourke marched them right down the field for a touchdown. During the drive, Rourke twice ran the option with A.J. Ouellette. On those plays, he gained 27 of his game-high 105 yards. Rourke rushed for three touchdowns on the afternoon, bringing his season total to nine.

Ohio needed a stop to give Rourke a chance to work his magic again. It was third and seven. Morris dropped back to pass and fired his right arm. The pass sailed over the head of Conklin but Bradd Ellis was called for pass interference, giving the Chippewas a first down. Two minutes later it was third and nine. Morris completed a pass to Mark Chapman for 11 yards, giving Central Michigan the first down, essentially ending the game.

“We didn’t play really well on offense, defense or special teams,” Solich said. “We did not have one area that played winning football,” Solich said. ‘When that happens you usually don’t win football games.”

The first half featured plenty of Rourke and A.J. Ouellette. The duo accounted for 109 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Rourke had 15 carries for 105 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Through the air, he completed 17 of 31 passes for 160 yards and had one interception.

“Obviously there are positives but when you lose a game, there’s always more negatives you take from that and that’s fine. It’s a tough loss but we can learn from this and we still have some season left,” Rourke said. “I know our guys are a resilient bunch evident by the Eastern Michigan game and I think that if given the opportunity we’ll come through next time.”

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