Ohio's second scrimmage in fall camp wasn't earth-shattering.
There were no post-whistle dust ups, or starting spots battled over for long hours in the humid Athens weather.
Rather, this scrimmage was designed to build the back half of the roster, to solidify positions on the second and third strings.
“We’re playing a lot of young guys, getting a lot of snaps to young guys trying to build up some depth at a fair number of positions,” coach Frank Solich said.
The Bobcats tried their best to get the scrimmage to a real-game situation, with officials, yard markers and full-contact throughout the morning on Thursday.
The offense outdid a defense that was rotating starters for the majority of the practice, but not to a worrisome amount for Solich. The starting linebackers Quentin Poling, Chad Moore and Evan Croutch saw minimal snaps, as did starting safeties Kylan Nelson and Javon Hagan.
On the offensive side, A.J. Ouellette and Dorian Brown did not participate in the scrimmage, but did participate in practice before the live hitting.
A few others, receiver Willie Cherry and running back Julian Ross namely, had strong outings. Ross showed shiftiness carrying the ball, while Cherry hauled in a long pass from Quinton Maxwell.
“We’ve definitely seen a big progression," Maxwell said of the last two weeks. "As far as the whole team, offensively we’re coming together really really well. All the coaches are excited, I’m excited, a lot of the guys on the offense are excited.”
Maxwell and backup quarterback Nathan Rourke alternated at quarterback for the majority of the scrimmage, with Rourke plagued by drops his series.
"I like the way our quarterbacks playing, both of them," Solich said. "Quinton is having a very good camp, Nathan has showed some special ability in terms of being put in a bad situation and finding a way out of it, making plays with it. On that end of it, I’m pleased."
On the defensive side of the ball, Grant Cunningham had a strong scrimmage as well. The lone injury of the scrimmage came on a hit from Cunningham, who hit receiver Jared Marhefka across the middle. The injury didn't appear to be serious.
But that secondary is now a cause for concern with cornerback Mayne Williams out indefinitely, and likely for his career. Williams never properly healed from a neck injury suffered against Kansas last season.
Opposite Williams, cornerback Bradd Ellis was penciled in as the starter, but a minor left hamstring injury kept Ellis out of the scrimmage. Just like the scrimmage, the secondary has become a "next man up" situation.
“We’re just alternating all of the corners in there, give them as many reps as we can give them," Solich said. "You take Bradd out of it, we’re needing some guys to step up. We’ve got some promising young guys, they’ve got speed, they’ve got competitiveness, they’ll come up and tackle you which is good to start with."
The scrimmage wasn't flashy, but it offered a look at what kind of depth the Bobcats will have moving forward. It might not have been a scrimmage that showed much, but it could be one that helps Ohio down the stretch run.
