Ohio football will look to avenge last season's loss when it opens against Kent State on Saturday
Although Saturday will mark the beginning of a new season, the last time Ohio and Kent State played is still fresh in some Bobcats’ minds.
On a cold Tuesday evening last November, the Golden Flashes blew out the Bobcats 44-13 and late in the fourth quarter, rubbed Ohio’s third straight loss in its face by dancing on the hill in Peden Stadium’s north endzone after a touchdown.
Ohio has lost four of its past five meetings to Kent State and would like nothing less than opening 2014 with a Mid-American Conference win.
“We are excited to showcase what we’re all about on Saturday,” redshirt junior cornerback Ian Wells said. “The way we ended last year with them dancing on our hill, we feel kind of disrespected and we’ve lost a couple games to them in a row so we want to turn the tables.”
Neither team will show many resemblances to last year’s offenses, as the likes of Tyler Tettleton, Beau Blankenship and Dri Archer have graduated. That will call for different players to step up and continue to fuel the MAC East rivalry.
Monday, coach Frank Solich dubbed redshirt junior Derrius Vick the starting quarterback after competing with J.D. Sprague, a redshirt sophomore, throughout camp.
Vick played in 11 games for the Bobcats last year as a reserve, including against the Golden Flashes, but is a relatively unknown face around the MAC. At least that was the case with Kent State coach Paul Haynes, who at July’s MAC Media Day said, “I have no idea who (Vick) is, to be honest with you.”
Vick didn’t seem to take the comments to heart and responded by tweeting, “in that case just call me mystery man lol. #whospaulhaynesanyways.”
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Saturday will be the first time many fans witness Ohio’s new offensive core in action, as Tim Edmond, a senior, and Daz Patterson, a junior, will split carries in the backfield as a thunder and lightning type approach, respectively.
Patterson said the offseason helped revitalize them after losing four of the final five games last year and he saw energy that will separate Ohio from other teams. He said couldn’t wait to play the Golden Flashes.
“We owe them,” Patterson said. “It’s something important to us.”
Solich said Kent State is a “great matchup” to begin the season, though the opponent doesn’t really matter in a season-opener.
“Your very first game, no matter who you’re playing, whether it be a Penn State, whether it be a Pittsburgh or a team that you’re favored, it really doesn’t matter,” Solich said. “When you take a one game at a time approach, you’re generally ready to play the first one.”
While the football on the field will be a focus, Kent State will enter with heavy hearts after its starting center Jason Bitsko died suddenly last Wednesday of causes that are still undetermined. He will be honored with a No. 54 decal on the Golden Flashes’ helmets this season.
Wells said many players have reached out to members of the Kent State program to offer their condolences.
“We graduated in the same class and we’re from the Dayton area,” Wells said. “I don’t know him personally, but it’s a tough thing to go through. You can’t take anything for granted.”
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