With the non-conference schedule finished, coach Frank Solich met with members of the media to look back on the first four games of Ohio football's season and preview Mid-American Conference play, which begins this weekend.
Here are a few notes from the press conference Monday afternoon:
Bo knows he’ll get a lot of reps
Free safety/running back/special teams gunner Bo Hardy is on the field a lot. Expect him to be on the field more Saturday at Miami.
Injuries knocked out the first five backs on the depth chart, meaning Hardy will be the probable starter come Saturday.
“Bo kind of stands alone right now,” Solich said. “We’ll just see how tough Bo is, I guess. He responded really well to the (Gardner-Webb) game and played on both sides of the ball very well.”
Against Gardner-Webb, Hardy started at safety, but switched to running back in the second quarter and finished the game with a team-high of 15 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Windham has impressed so far
Entering the season, the running game was expected to dominate offensive play-calling. Essentially, quarterback Greg Windham just needed to manage the game.
That role changed.
Passing wise, he’s thrown for 933 yards and seven touchdowns. Rushing wise he’s accumulated 288 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s gotten to where he really understands offensive football,” Solich said. “That takes a while in any system to get to that point where you’re really confident.”
Slate swiped clean
Solich likes numbers. He likes to mention stats at press conferences and actively analyzes the Bobcats' production for each game and collectively this season.
As conference play begins Saturday, Solich said he’ll continue to look at Ohio’s ranking nationally, but his main concern rests in comparison to the rest of the MAC.
Moving forward, the two losses won’t hurt Ohio’s chances at a conference title — something the program hasn't claimed since 1968.
“We are where we are at,” he said. “Our numbers put us where we are at, but starting conference play for us we do wipe the slate clean.”
Love and honor
In the previous 11 match-ups Solich has coached against the RedHawks, the Bobcats have never started MAC play with a game against them.
Solich said he doesn’t care, but thought it’s more exciting for the fans than a cold Tuesday in November.
“It makes no difference when you play them,” he said. “I think the fans get involved, the players get involved. It happens to be our first game this year; I think everyone is fine with that.”
Ohio is 9-2 against Miami under Solich.
