Every college football season is filled with highs and lows much like the slope of a mountain.
The Bobcats (6-2, 3-1 Mid-American Conference) slate of games has been no different, filled with disappointment against Louisville and Central Michigan, as well as exuberating moments against Marshall and Miami.
With the heart of MAC play coming to a head in November, the Bobcats will have a tough haul ahead of them when they travel to Buffalo and Bowling Green before returning home for two games against Kent State and Massachusetts.
But the next two games will be crucial for the MAC East race as Buffalo sits atop the standings, followed by a tie between Ohio and Bowling Green.
“I think the end of the season being near is kind of the time for everybody to step up and pump up their game to another level,” redshirt junior safety Thad Ingol said. “That’s where its coming from, digging down deep within.”
The games will pit the three best defenses in the league against each other, while Ohio also has the MAC’s third-best scoring offense with 33.6 points per game.
Ohio will face a tough schedule, and is devoid of any more weekend contests, as its four remaining regular-season games fall during the week.
Redshirt senior running back Ryan Boykin said even though the practice schedule may be flipped, that doesn’t mean the team will alter the way it plays. He added that the midweek games give the team a break to rest up.
“The midweek games are starting up so I kind of like those, it’s a little change up from the usual Saturday,” Boykin said. “We get a little TV coverage, so I don’t mind it at all. It’s probably the toughest stretch of the season, playing Buffalo, Bowling Green and I believe Kent State so it’s a tough little three weeks we’ve got coming up.”
Coach Frank Solich said this week in particular is important to how the season plays out.
“It’s obviously an important week. Every week from here on out in terms of how the conference will unfold is important to all the teams and so were at that point of time in our season obviously.”
The Ohio offense is starting to gel at the right time, as redshirt senior running back Beau Blankenship’s recorded his first 100-yard game of the season.
Boykin said the improvement of the rushing attack has had a positive effect on the offense as a whole.
“Our offense is clicking now,” Boykin said. The run game is helping the play action pass and the play action pass game is actually helping the run so I mean they kind of go hand in hand.”
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