Frank Solich wants his team to execute more moving forward after Saturday’s “odd game.”
After his team ran the most plays of any Football Bowl Subdivision team despite scoring the least points in the Mid-American Conference, Frank Solich summed Saturday up with one word: odd.
The 10th year head coach addressed the media Monday after a 31-13 loss to Bowling Green in front of a Homecoming crowd last weekend. At the midpoint of the season, the Bobcats (3-4, 1-2 MAC) will once again regroup at practice to work on execution this week.
Ohio’s biggest focus for their next game against Akron will come in terms of its discipline after committing 16 penalties for 153 yards. The Bobcats had not been penalized double-digit times in a game, and committed just two the previous week.
“We weren’t playing a lot differently than what we have in past games – obviously, some of those calls were legitimate calls,” Solich said. “It is what it is — when you get 15 penalties, 150-some yards penalized, your chances of putting anything together offensively is not very good.”
Running back shake up?
Senior Tim Edmond has scored a touchdown in each of the past two weeks, despite carrying the ball just four times for 21 yards in that time.
This weekend, A.J. Oullette, a freshman who returned after missing a game with an injured ankle, carried the ball 16 times for 45 yards. Daz Patterson, a junior, also rushed six times for just 11 yards.
“They were both subpar, as far as health went, going into the game,” Solich said. “I think both of those guys are going to be better off this week going into the game than they were last week.”
Quarterback JD Sprague led the Bobcats in rushing Saturday with 49 net yards, despite being sacked five times for a loss of 43 yards. Despite Edmond’s scores, Solich says the running back order won’t change and his repetitions will depend on how he fits into the offense at any given moment.
“Tim has not gotten a lot of reps, and every time he has gotten in he’s performed well,” Solich said. “Whether that will happen, I don’t know.”
Progress
Although no wide receivers found the end zone against Bowling Green, Solich is pleased with the progress his younger players have shown this year.
Sophomore Sebastian Smith has paced the corps this season with 21 catches and 242 yards — tied for the team-best with redshirt senior Chase Cochran. He also has a pair of touchdowns, which is tied for a team-high with senior Landon Smith.
“I think Sebastian Smith has shown that he has a chance to be very special,” Solich said. “He’s got good height and a long reach and he has excellent hands. He’s able to come up with the special catches.”
“I think he’ll be a receiver that ends up having the entire package.”
Although Sebastian Smith has led the group, six different wide receivers have double-digit catches. The bunch has also developed better chemistry with Sprague after three straight weeks with him under center.
Injury Update
— After sitting out the past three weeks with a knee injury, redshirt junior quarterback Derrius Vick began throwing the ball and running at practice, individually, on Monday. However, Solich said Vick fulling returning to practice is still “down the road.”
— Redshirt junior guard Mike McQueen was involved in a car accident early Sunday morning, but has met with Solich and is just “shaken up.”
— Blair Brown, a redshirt sophomore linebacker who’s second on the team with 46 tackles, is still out of practice with a concussion.
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