As one of the leaders in the Mid-American Conference, Ohio’s offense has proved that very little can slow it down. But soon it will encounter a new kind of foe.
For the remainder of the season, Ohio will be forced to handle not only what its opponent throws its way on the gridiron but also the tackling grip of
Mother Nature.
“We try to have it not change our game plan. We would like to be able to run and throw regardless of the weather conditions,” Ohio coach Frank Solich said. “Obviously, when we’ve got really high winds, that can affect your passing game a great deal.”
Aside from a rainy MAC opener against Kent State and a windy game against Ball State last weekend, the Bobcats have been fortunate enough to play in fair weather conditions so far this season.
Whether or not the high wind and steady rain had an effect on the Bobcats’ offense, the 17 points Ohio put up against the Golden Flashes was the least it has scored all season.
Though Solich said the passing attack is one of the aspects most affected by weather, quarterback Tyler Tettleton said he expects the conditions to play little to no factor this weekend.
“The equipment guys do a good job of taking care of the balls,” Tettleton said. “The biggest thing is the wind. You could tell on some of the deep passes I threw to Riley (Dunlop) that the wind was carrying it.”
When conditions do get tough, Solich said teams often turn to the ground game in order to neutralize the weather’s effects.
“Teams love to have a very good ground game because, regardless of conditions, if you’ve got a good one you’re in good shape,” he said. “If your uniform gets wet it just puts another 10 pounds on the ball carrier.”
In a mid-November, rainy game against Temple last season, the Bobcats had 43 rushing attempts to only 13 passing attempts.
Though rain is not in the forecast for Saturday, cooler temperatures will surely be a mainstay throughout the remainder of the season. Solich said defense becomes even more important when the weather contains a team on offense.
“If it limits what you can do, you’ve just got to play that much better defense,” he said. “You can always play great defense regardless of what the weather is. If you can step it up there and find the way to move the ball a little bit on offense and have a little bit of luck on special teams, you’ll be OK.”
In the light rain of the Oct. 1 game against Kent State, Tettleton completed 28 of 42 passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Tettleton’s stats against the Golden Flashes give no indication that the weather had any effect on Ohio’s passing attack. He is averaging 21 completions per game.
“We’re pretty used to this type of weather,” Tettleton said. “So unless we get into a situation like (Wednesday) where we have monsoon conditions, it’s usually not a factor for me.”
Aside from the passing game, Solich said the aspects most affected by the weather are the special teams.
The Bobcats have faced the same cold and rainy conditions this week in practice that they likely will face for much of the remainder of the season.
Practicing under poor conditions can help prepare a team to play under similar circumstances, but Solich said mental preparation is just as important.
“You have to be conditioned mentally more than anything else,” Solich said. “I don’t think you have to practice in bad weather for 25 practices to be able to play in it. You just have to have a great mindset.”
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