Coach Frank Solich had a bit of jump in his step last Friday.
His staff was hours away from confirming the already-known fact that Greg Windham would be the starting quarterback and — more importantly — there were no season-ending injuries.
Just to be sure, however, he had to knock on wood.
So Solich took a pen from his pocket, laughed because it looked like wood and knocked on it.
But for the Bobcats, who have had numerous key injuries throughout the past few seasons, every ounce of help is worth it.
“Any time you don’t have season-ending injuries, you’ve got to count your blessings,” Solich said. “Injuries can happen any time, so you just hold your breath as you go through it. Get your depth built up, get your young guys ready to go. I’m pleased with the potential of our depth, (but) not pleased just yet.”
Ohio concluded fall camp, to the delight of the coaching staff and fans, with no major injuries, unless if you include the career-ending injury of JD Sprague.
Sebastian Smith's lower-body injury is another potentially concerning roadblock. Smith will be out for four to six weeks, but it's unknown when that timeline began and if there's a return date set for the wide receiver.
With Smith out of the fold, the Bobcats offense zeroed in on the running game, which led to redshirt junior Dorian Brown having one of the most impressive camps on the team.
“I take enjoyment running (the) defense over, but I think that’s the type of running back I am," he said. "I lower my shoulder if I have to, but I know I can make moves, too. I’ve always been that type of running back.”
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During live-tackling drills, it was uncommon to see just one defender tackling the 5-foot-11, 211-pound Brown to the ground. But even Brown was not exempt from dealing with the day-to-day grind of camp.
"Toughest part of camp, I have to say, was getting acclimated with the plays and staying healthy," he said. "Trying to do everything perfect, waking up every day, trying to do everything at that same intensity, high level of performance."
The Bobcats returned to single practices after classes started back up Monday. The start of the season is less than two weeks away.
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