A new football season also ushers in a new football column for The Post.
A new football season also ushers in a new column for The Post.
In the past, we’ve only written standard previews before football games. This season we’ve added a new column, which provides a few quick factors to watch when Ohio lines up. With that, here’s the first “Trips right …”
Thin at tight end
Junior Troy Mangen entered fall camp as the starting tight end and was expected to have a breakout season. But then Mangen picked up a season-ending knee injury.
Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but Ohio doesn’t have a single tight end on the roster who actually had a reception for the team in 2014. Not one.
Keith Heitzman is the new starter for the Bobcats entering the season. Heitzman is a graduate transfer and played at Michigan previously — although he was used as a defensive end. In 2014 he had two receptions and one touchdown.
Mason Morgan, a redshirt sophomore, should enter into Ohio’s game plan as well.
Rotating the running backs
Walking onto the team last season, A.J. Ouellette was the squad’s primary running back when he was healthy. Part of that stemmed from Daz Patterson playing injured in 2014, eventually leading to an offseason surgery.
Now a sophomore, Ouellette is expected to carry a sizable share of the carries. He ran for a career-high 132 yards and two touchdowns when the teams last met but this season he won’t be the lone feature back.
Ohio offensive coordinator Tim Albin said Patterson, a senior, will share the load.
“He looks the best he’s ever looked,” Albin said of Patterson. “He’ll definitely be tired on the plane ride back.”
All down the line
Ohio’s set defense is the 4-3 — and that’s also the defense the Bobcat offense is used to lining up against.
After bringing in a new defensive coordinator, Idaho now lines up in a 3-4 scheme, which adds emphasis to their linebacker corps.
Depending on Ohio’s game plan, the team might add more emphasis on winning the battle at the line of scrimmage than usual.
And that’s when rotating the running backs might wear the Vandals down.
@charliehatch_
