Six weeks ago, Ohio was blown out by No. 8 Louisville in front of a national television audience.
But since suffering bruises from the Cardinals during the 49-7 loss, the Bobcats (4-1, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) have compiled a four-game winning streak and are in the midst of a stretch of games until November that Ohio should not (and probably will not) lose.
After edging past Marshall during week three, Ohio has hit its stride. And for the first time since 1999, the Bobcats’ defense has not allowed a touchdown in consecutive games.
Albeit, the past two victories have come against teams that have a combined 1-10 record, but the Bobcats are firing on all cylinders.
This weekend against Central Michigan (2-4, 1-1 MAC), Ohio could even its all-time record to .500 with the 530th victory in program history.
“To be able to bring it back to some good times and to get things done at a level to get it to .500 is very meaningful to everyone associated with the program,” Ohio coach Frank Solich said at his weekly news conference Monday.
While Solich and company insist they don’t look ahead in their schedule, the Bobcats’ upcoming slate has set them up to succeed, as they are scheduled to play three of the MAC’s four worst defenses during the remainder of the season.
Next week, Ohio will hit the road to Ypsilanti, Mich. to take the gridiron against Eastern Michigan, which has been outscored 166-51 in its past four games.
After playing the Eagles, Ohio will then host rival Miami on Halloween weekend in Athens. While the Bobcats will hopefully be focused on the game’s action rather than whatever festivities they participate in later that evening, I don’t see them having any difficulty against the winless RedHawks.
If the Bobcats can coast through October unscathed, who knows where their momentum can take them. They will then play a triad of Tuesday games before ending the season the day after Thanksgiving against UMass.
While the season did not begin with a win that would have been the most prominent in school history, if the Bobcats can run the tables and win out, the team should find itself in a better bowl game than the Independence Bowl.
Who knows, maybe a MAC team could find itself back in a Bowl Championship Series game for the second consecutive year.
It would be fitting for Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton, running back Beau Blankenship and wide receiver Donte Foster to go out on top, as the trio of redshirt seniors from Oklahoma wraps up its record-setting careers wearing the Green and White.
Chad Lindskog is The Post’s Sports Editor and a junior studying journalism. Are you also excited for the remainder of this season? Let him know at cl027410@ohiou.edu or @ChadLindskog.
