Veteran Bobcats can vie for title
COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS: NO. 42 OHIO
Frank Solich is somewhat of a rarity in the Mid-American Conference, a coach who appears content to remain with a program for the long haul.
That stability has done wonders for the Bobcats, who’ve remained a consistent contender for a conference title throughout much of those 14 seasons.
The emergence of quarterback Nathan Rourke along with a roster rich in talent is the reason Ohio is No. 42 in Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel’s preseason 2018 college football rankings. Murschel ranked all 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 129 to our projected No. 1 team. Ohio Frank Solich (97-71, entering 14th season; 155-90 overall)
9-4, 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference; second in the East Division
Ohio entered last year eager to build off the momentum from the 2016 season, during which the Bobcats won their third East Division crown since 2009. The team opened by winning eight of its first 10 games, but back-to-back untimely losses to Akron and Buffalo to close the regular season denied the team a shot at a conference championship.
8 WR Papi White, WR Andrew Meyer, DB Jawon Hagan, LB Evan Crouch, DB Jalen Fox
Nathan Rourke supplied Ohio’s offense with an instant spark when he stepped into the starting role in the third game of the season. The versatile quarterback finished with more than 3,100 yards of offense and set a new singleseason school record with 21 rushing touchdowns while leading the Bobcats to an 8-3 record, including a 41-6 win over UAB in the Bahamas Bowl.
Rourke wasn’t the only one powering the ground game, with A.J. Ouellette becoming the first Bobcat to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Beau Blankenship in 2012.
The offensive line returns a pair of all-conference performers in tackle Joe Lowery and guard Joe Anderson.
Attrition hit the defense hard, with just four starters back from a group that allowed just 24 points and 371 yards per game in 2017. The Bobcats must make up for the loss of linebacker Quentin Poling, who wrapped a successful career as one of the top tacklers in the conference. Most of Ohio’s front seven needs to be replaced, leaving the Bobcats to rely on a handful of young underclassmen.
Rourke took a huge step forward last season and his continued development spells good things for an offense that returns nine starters. That will be a huge boost early in the season as the defense matures.