Despite history being against it, Ohio has confidence going against Minnesota on Saturday.
When Ohio plays Minnesota on Saturday, the Bobcats will walk into TFC Bank Stadium in Minneapolis considered "underdogs."
According to Vegas odds, Minnesota is considered a 10-point favorite against Ohio, despite the Bobcats going into their matchup undefeated (3-0), and the Golden Gophers struggling last week against the Kent State Golden Flashes.
But this isn't the first time the odds have been stacked against the Bobcats.
"We’ve got a lot of respect for coach (Jerry) Kill and his staff and what he accomplished while he was a coach here at the MAC, and what he is accomplishing at Minnesota," Ohio coach Frank Solich said during Monday's press conference. "So it will definitely be a challenge. I think our guys are anxious to meet that challenge."
Minnesota beat Kent State 10-7 to advance to 2-1 on the season, yet Solich said the Golden Flashes playing the Golden Gophers so physically could have a negative repercussions for the Bobcats come Saturday.
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"It is not necessarily a good deal that Kent played them so close and got their attention. Now they will definitely be focused on us and ready to go," Solich said. "Kent did a great job of getting ready for the game and putting a game plan together.”
Historically, Ohio has faltered when playing bigger football programs.
In 2008, Ohio lost to Ohio State, 26-14.
In 2005, Ohio lost to then-No. 4 ranked Virginia Tech, 45-0.
In 1997, Ohio lost to then-No. 20 ranked Kansas State, 23-20.
But Ohio is different this year — despite its Mid-American Conference tag — and Minnesota isn't exactly Ohio State nor Virginia Tech.
"They'll go in with a certain goal of keeping them under a certain amount of points. That’s always good to have, but it’s not easy to obtain," Solich said. "I like what I’ve seen out of our defense so far. They play hard and they generally tackle well."
The Bobcats are up to the challenge — it shows in the Bobcats' confidence after press conferences and practices.
And with a chip on its shoulder, Ohio will walk into TFC Bank Stadium, regardless of what history has to say.
"I think we are getting better each week. We’ve gotten better at the things we needed to from last year and that shows," quarterback Derrius Vick said. "There is always room for improvement. We have a lot of penalties we need to take care off and a lot of simple missed assignments. At this point, I can’t complain because we’re 3-0."
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