The Bobcats were unable to score after possessing the ball for over three quarters of play last weekend, so they will look to rebound against Akron on Saturday
Saturday presents a chance for Ohio to turn things around.
Following two disappointing losses, the Bobcats are hopeful to get back to .500 and pick up another Mid-American Conference win.
Akron (4-2, 2-0 MAC) comes to Peden Stadium on Saturday and will be without its starting quarterback Kyle Pohl, which gives Ohio an advantage.
However, the Bobcats (3-4, 1-2 MAC) will have to put the ball in the endzone and find a way to finish drives after running 110 plays last week. Ohio also possessed the ball for over 35 minutes, but only found the endzone once.
“We did a lot of things well and played hard, we just didn’t come out with points,” sophomore wide receiver Sebastian Smith said. “It’s just little things.”
Although redshirt sophomore JD Sprague threw for over 300 yards passing last week, coach Frank Solich expects to see more from his quarterback each week.
“Things will continue to come and get better for him,” Solich said. “We want him to be able to hit the deep ball with a little bit more accuracy. All that can also come with more time in the pocket.”
Defensively, allowing early scores has been an ongoing problem, including the past two weeks where the opposition has put up 14 points on its first two drives both weeks. That’s something Ohio addressed in practice and the secondary wants to come out strong, instead of being caught on its heels.
“We’ve just been really focusing on making sure when we come out we’re ready to play, we’re focused, have a lot of energy,” redshirt senior safety Josh Kristoff said.
Pohl has been ruled out after taking a hard hit in the Zips’ victory against Miami last weekend, so redshirt freshman Tommy Woodson will start under center.
Solich said his game plan will stay constant regardless of the quarterback switch because Pohl and Woodson are each talented.
“I think both guys are very good throwers,” he said. “(Woodson) seems to be accurate and he seems to have a really strong arm. So he’s able to do everything that Pohl was able to do.”
Ohio will be without redshirt sophomore linebacker Blair Brown, as the defense has dealt with injuries throughout the entire season, but this week will be no different. The Bobcats will continue to use their “next man up” mentality and they aren’t afraid to play backups.
“The guys that are behind, they get a lot of practice reps, so they’re ready to go,” Kristoff said. “This team, the one thing I can say despite the record, we’ve stayed together and I think we’re going to continue to do that, we’re going to continue to be a family.”
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