Ohio gave up more than 600 yards of total offense, couldn’t manage a score until the third quarter and missed a pair of field goals during Sunday’s 49-7 rout from the hands of No. 8 Louisville.
It was a failure in all phases of the game and a contest most Bobcats (0-1) want to put far in the rearview mirror.
“We’re not focusing on that game,” redshirt senior running back Beau Blankenship said. “It’s the past and we’re done with it.”
The focus for the Bobcats is turning the ship around in time for Saturday evening’s bout with North Texas (1-0) at Peden Stadium.
“We were embarrassed,” defensive coordinator Jimmy Burrow said. “The question is how we bounce back. We have a lot of pride, and for us to turn the season around we have to get going.”
While Ohio will take the field against a team that is not as talented as the Cardinals, North Texas is a team that should not be overlooked.
The Mean Green and head coach Dan McCarney are coming off of a 40-6 thrashing of Idaho on the road — taking the Vandals’ defense to task for 591 yards and forcing three fumbles.
Featured prominently was senior quarterback Derek Thompson, who completed 23 of his 27 pass attempts for 349 yards and two touchdowns.
“He appears to be very accurate and the statistics show that,” coach Frank Solich said. “He’s got excellent arm strength. I think they utilize him well in the passing game.”
Thompson’s top weapon is senior Brelan Chancellor, who, after two consecutive seasons of at least 450 receiving yards, is emerging as the Mean Green’s top receiver.
He led the team with six receptions and 135 receiving yards, to pair with a receiving touchdown and three punt returns resulting in 111 yards.
But the aerial supremacy is a fairly new wrinkle to the North Texas offense, as McCarney-coached teams have a reputation of pounding the ball on the ground.
“I’ve known Dan McCarney for a while and he coaches physical football,” Burrow said. “They have enough skill people with the quarterbacks and the running backs that they can spread you out and do some damage there, too.”
“But I think they want to start with the run and being physical up front.”
Junior defensive tackle Antwan Crutcher is eager to encounter North Texas’ physicality, as he thinks that stopping the run has become “a lost art” in college football.
“Stopping the run is probably the most important thing,” Crutcher said. “If you can stop the run, it’s so critical because you know that there’s going to be a pass if you stop the run effectively. And you take the spirit out of the coach to not want to call run plays.”
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